Heartfelt Desires
by seraphydragon
Summary: Aphrodite has had enough of Ares and so she sends Venus Minako to remedy the problem. Only what if Ares isn't the person Minako must deal with, but rather a certain ravenhaired woman?
1. One Way to Say Hello

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Sailor Moon

**A/N:** I decided to start this story after all. Some parts might seem a little odd but humor me okay? And please tell me what you think (like if the idea sounds familiar, which I hope not… and if I should write individual character POVs like in my other stories) This chapter is like a prologue chapter.

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Aphrodite, the Goddess of love and beauty was also the ruler of the planet Venus. Her subjects adored her; the entire solar system adored her. She was often showered with praise, all of it attributed not only to her undying beauty but also for her seemingly boundless wisdom (the occasional offerings weren't too shabby either). It was well known that the royal family resided within the great Cupid Palace, the symbolic core of Venus's planet. It was built from the finest white marble, made to tower over the Capital city, Cytherea**,** from atop of the highest hill, and was supplemented by luxurious grounds which were decorated by large statues and exquisite fountains. Living as a Goddess should live, being the supreme ruler of her element and of a planet…while also being praised as any God or Goddess of her rank rightfully should…

This ruler was not happy.

There was a heavy, unsettling atmosphere in the throne room that was causing a stir amongst her audience. Queen Aphrodite sat with a deepening, furrowed brow as she gazed into the royal viewing orb. Past the red haze that clouded the crystal's surface, the Goddess found herself standing amidst a bloodied battlefield and on that battlefield emerged a familiar figure adorned in magnificent, red armor. There was the lifeless, dead corpse of a woman in his arms; anger sparked deep within the Goddess's bosom.

"Ares…" Aphrodite mumbled, fighting to quell the rage that she felt. _He's at it again! _"One war after another, day after day! This is going too far, even if he is the God of War!"

Her subjects shrank at the sound of her powerful voice.

_For what you have done...I will never forgive you! A__s the Goddess of love, I must do something about this…but with what and how…_

The maids and servants in the audience chamber eyed their ruler warily; they were unsure of what to do or say that would please their ladyship. However, the truth was that many would rather say nothing at all; the conflict between Aphrodite and Ares was a fierce, on-going battle that spanned across many centuries or even millennia perhaps. They were both leaders of opposing elements and it _was_ a ruler's rightful duty to promote their own sphere of influence, whether it was Love or War.

"I have it! Bring me Minako immediately!" Aphrodite's voice boomed.

A summons had been issued.

In no time at all, the large, grand doors of the audience chamber re-opened to reveal the appearance of a beautiful, slender girl who looked to be in her late teens. She possessed long, flowing strands of golden-blonde hair which fell down just past her waistline, and she possessed the most enrapturing cerulean blue eyes that any had laid eyes on. Those blue eyes twinkled with excitement of a mysterious kind as her reddish-pink, luscious lips curled up into a smile. Although she was not as well known as Aphrodite, the girl still had her share of admirers.

"You summoned me Mother?" She addressed the Goddess as she entered the room.

In the background, a servant announced, "Presenting her royal highness, Princess Venus Minako, the youngest of Her Majesty, Queen Aphrodite's daughters!"

Minako spared a quick glance around the audience chamber, and was surprised by the unusually large crowd.

_I wonder what's going on... _She was starting to get nervous. _Was there some kind of scheduled event that I forgot about? Hmm…I know! Just smile and nod, it ALWAYS works! Yeah, that's what I'll do!_

"That is correct," Aphrodite nodded. She was pleased that her daughter had remembered to curtsy this time around after forgetting the last ten times consecutively (this formality was not required in their private gatherings but it served as a good show for the guests during social events).

"I have an urgent mission for you, one that I am unable to fulfill myself with the duties I need to uphold here."

"A mission?" Minako repeated.

_A mission? Did I hear what I thought I just heard?! A MISSION?! OMG. I've never actually gone on a mission before! Okay Minako, stay cool. You don't want to blow this chance._

"What is it about, if I may inquire?"

"I was about to explain that."

_Fudge. _

"Yes, of course Mother."

"You are already aware of the circumstances surrounding Ares and myself, correct?" Minako gave a slight nod in response. Already she could feel a sinking feeling beginning to form in pit her stomach at the mention of the War God. "As of today, I've decided that I've had enough of his antics. I would like to settle things once and for all."

The silence was instantly broken by a murmur of voices.

"Did you hear that?"

"I-I think I did…are you sure you heard what we thought we heard?"

"There won't be a war with Mars will there?"

_A war with Mars?_ Minako also found herself questioning her mother's intentions. _But we would be outclassed for sure if it came down to a physical fight._

"SILENCE!" Aphrodite commanded, and all obeyed. "I assure you, there will be _no_ war with Mars. Instead, I was merely contemplating on negotiating with the God of War. Peaceful talk, nothing more..."

But Minako caught the mischievous gleam in her mother's eye. It was the very same one reflecting in hers as well. Suddenly, it all became clear.

"Ahh…and I assume you would like me to do these 'peaceful negotiations' in your place Mother?"

"That is correct. Do you think you can handle such an important task?"

Minako answered her mother's smirk with a hearty laugh. Her blonde hair swept to either side of her back while some strands came to lie over her shoulders.

"Yes, of course!" She answered. Her voice was bursting with confidence.

_After all, there is no man that I cannot seduce! _Minako inwardly grinned. _One look of me and he'll instantly be putty in my hands. The wars WILL stop. Just think about it. The Universe at peace, no more fighting... I never saw a point to the whole killing-for-the-sake-of-killing thing anyway._

"I will do it!"

"Excellent! I will expect good news from you, my child. You will depart later this afternoon. Do not let me down!"

"I won't Mother!"

(Corridor in the Ram Palace, Planet of Mars)

"Sir, we've just received a report from Venus. It appears that a representative from Venus is currently on her way here."

Several footsteps, accompanied by the loud clanking of metal echoed throughout the marble hallway.

"What a bother…" A commanding voice muttered in annoyance. "Who is it? Surely it cannot be Aphrodite herself."

_It must be some unimportant pawn._

"No. We have reason to believe that it's her daughter."

The leader's footsteps momentarily stopped. "...Her daughter?"

"That is correct, Sir."

_How unusual. I wasn't even aware that Venus had an heir._

"I see. Did the messenger state the reason of her visit?"

"No Sir. When inquired, the messenger said that the reason of the visit is to be delivered personally by the Queen's representative herself."

"Is that right? So they intend to keep it a secret until then..."

The man flinched as the commander brushed past him. When no blows were exchanged, he quietly let out a sigh of relief and then fell back into line with the others behind their leader.

_Why would Venus's ruler send her only child? Any normal diplomat should be more than adequate to deliver a simple message. Unless... is Aphrodite up to something? Ha, like I should worry about some a little girl._

"Sir, what shall you have me do?"

"..."

"SIR?" The man's heart nearly leapt from his chest when his superior suddenly spoke up.

"Send the girl in the moment she arrives. I will meet with her in the throne room."

"Uh…Y-Yes! Of course! Very good Sir."

_This should prove to be interesting… _

Long raven hair whipped behind the superior's back as they marched towards the throne room.

_Very interesting indeed..._

**Tup, Tup, tup, tup…**

(A time later, Courtyard of the Ram Palace)

Minako had finally arrived at her destination. She now stood directly outside the palace, reluctantly admiring its uniqueness.

_Wow, Mars is far different than I had imagined it to be. _She thought to herself in mixed awe and disappointment.

The scenery around her contrasted greatly with her memories of home; Mars was dry, dusty and environmentally harsh in its overall appearance. There was red sand for miles around without another, single building in sight. And the atmosphere, as soon as Minako had stepped off of the shuttle she immediately noticed the massive difference in temperature between her home planet and Mars. The intense heat continued to barrel into her, and, already, her throat felt parched. Her mother sent her to a bloody desert of all places.

_Jeez... I really, really, REALLY hope this won't take too long. I sure don't want to stay here for too long if I can help it. What a time to forget my suntan lotion._ She sighed and checked the time.

_Where __is__ that servant already?! They sure have crappy service over here._

In an attempt to distract herself from the discomfort, she glanced around at what sparse decoration there was in the Martian courtyard. To her luck, she found herself surrounded by statues, statues and more statues; worst yet, she couldn't help but notice how they were all carved to resemble a sole warrior- it was of a man (she could feel the excitement already oozing out). He possessed short, curled hair, and a strong, muscular body that was shielded by a heavy, but well crafted suit of armor. In each of the statues he was presented in different poses. Many times the statues centralized on heroic idolization of the man. One statue showed the man brandishing his sword at an unseen enemy, while another depicted him striking a confident pose while he is surrounded by loyal subjects- and, Minako's personal favourite, there was one where he had rammed a sword through a poor peasant boy's chest.

She needed to do a double take when an attendant emerged from the palace's front entrance (although the man was wearing a helmet, she had a funny feeling that he resembled the skewered peasant boy a little too much).

"Lady Venus?" The soldier addressed her.

_Finally!_

"Hm?"

"I don't mean to be impolite or a bother, but our leader is waiting for you patiently in the throne room. I've been ordered to bring you there first before all else… Please don't hate me!" He blurted out and quickly begged forgiveness.

_That's the funny thing with people… it's like no one has ever spoken to a Goddess before._

Minako sighed. "It's no problem at all. Actually, I was hoping to speak with Mar's leader as soon as possible. This is perfect."

"R-Really?"

"Yes. Really. Now, if you would please show the way?"

"Ah, yes! Please follow me!"

Minako followed the soldier into the palace and walked behind him as he steered them down a series of long corridors made from a mix of red and white marble. She couldn't help but inwardly groan at the sight of more statues of guess who?

She stopped the man in front of relatively harmless statue where the figure held a sword and shield in a prideful stance.

"Hey, if you don't mind asking... I've been noticing that you guys have an awful lot of statues of this man. Who is he?" She asked.

The question seemed to greatly surprise her tour guide. "Y-You mean you don't know who that is? That's astounding! And you're here as a representative? I-I mean, not that I mean you should have known or you would have known but… it's no big deal!" He quickly corrected himself when he caught a glance from the blonde beauty. He then cleared his throat with a small cough, trying to keep his thoughts away from anything 'distracting'. "The statue that you see before you is modeled after Ares, the God of War. He's our leader and a great one at that! I can't even begin to tell you what an amazing strategist he is; the casualties on our side are always kept to a minimum. And his fighting spirit, it is truly a sight to behold! In brilliantly, flashing red armor our leader charges into battle at the FRONT lines, bringing down his wraith on any poor fool that would dare stand up against him. Watching him is an inspiration to our troops!"

_Great, an obsessed fan boy... _Minako rolled her eyes. _So that's Ares, my target. Huh, he sure doesn't look like much. If the rumours about him are true, then his lust for pleasure should be as great as his lust for war. _

"Sounds like quite the guy. I can't wait to meet him."

"You will soon enough." The attendant nodded approvingly, yet his face seemed a tad bit flush as he spoke to the woman in front of him. "L-Let's continue shall we? The throne room isn't far from here."

Another several right turns, and a few wrong turns (Minako was convinced her guide was beginning to have some trouble concentrating), the pair had finally reached their destination. Before them was a large set of doors. They were very similar to the ones in Cupid Palace, but they instead bore Mar's unique insignia instead of Venus's within the metal frame. Long, thin lines of gold also danced intricate patterns around the core.

"This is as far as I can go. But in here is where you will meet our leader. She might be a bit scary at first but don't let her intimidate you. It's the best advice I can give you."

"W-Wait a second, did you just say 'she'?" _I thought Ares was male!_

"Well, I'll leave you to your business Lady Venus. Please excuse me while I go put your luggage away. I do hope you that will enjoy your stay," The man rambled, completely ignoring the previous question before running off.

"H-Hey! Ah…fudge, he's gone! But… what was that about?" Minako crossed her arms in worried thought. "I'm pretty sure I heard him say 'she' but, oh, that can't be right!" _Right? _"Gah, what-ever! All this thinking is making my head hurt... I guess I'll just have to see for myself. But I know I must've heard wrong, that's all."

With little effort Minako pressed on the large, grand doors and opened them, allowing herself entry into Mar's throne room. Inside there was a solid red strip of marble leading from the doorway up to the throne seat. The lustre of the marble material had caught Minako's gaze for a moment; she was surprised at how reflective its surface was. It was definitely much more pleasing to the eye that some of the structures outside. There weren't large statues in the room either, something she was internally grateful for; there were only so many statues of Ares that she could take. But with that thought, it made her wonder what it would be like to see the actual model in person.

Her eyes trailed up to the throne's seat and immediately they connected with a pair of cold amethyst. Minako let out a small gasp.

_What's a woman doing here? And on the throne no less! Wouldn't she get in trouble? Where's Ares?!_

As Minako approached the throne she couldn't shake the uneasiness she felt from the amethyst eyes that observed her every move. She also couldn't help but, in turn, unconsciously evaluate the figure before her; silky, long raven hair, a perfectly shaped face and a nearly perfect complexion. Her imagination took one step further and predicted a muscular and well shaped body underneath all of that armor as well. Minako was captivated. Out of all the things she found on Mars, this being sparked more curiosity in her than any of Ares' statues. For one, the woman was before her in flesh and blood and she couldn't very well ignore the fiery quality in her eyes. She possessed a strong, dominating spirit. Minako was certain of it. But where had she felt something like this before?

_She surely couldn't be an ordinary soldier. Her aura… it feels too strong for that. _Minako's observations were briefly postponed as she came to a halt.

In the most formal tone she could muster she then stated, "I am a Princess of Venus, Venus Minako. I came here to request an audience with Ares, the God of War."

"Ares?" The raven-haired woman looked slightly amused. "Well, as you can see... he's not here at the moment."

"Oh. Well, yes, I can see that. So then, where is he? Or do you know when he will be back?"

"I cannot reveal his location nor do I know when he will be back."

"Wow, that's helpful…" Minako whispered in frustration under her breath.

If the other woman had heard her, she chose to ignore the comment. "My name is Mars Rei. For the time being, I am the acting leader. So if you have some business with Mars, I'm sure I am more than adequate. Please state your business now, Princess of Venus."

_What kind of attitude is that? _Minako inwardly grumbled. _She making it sound like I'm the kid and she's the grown up! Yeah… right! We look like we're the same age! _

"So basically...what you're saying is that anything you say goes, Rei?" The blonde asked for clarification.

Minako's use of her name seemed to actually had Rei taken aback.

"Ahem, that would be Sir to you. Now, if you would please state your business." The woman quickly said more forcefully.

_Is this girl brain-dead or something? I can't believe I had to ask twice! How incompetent; any soldier would have answered without asking any questions at all. Or maybe she didn't understand a word I said? Maybe if I said each word slowly…_

Minako ignored the cold stare she was getting from the substitute Martian leader. She was too busy wrapped up in her own thoughts.

_So let's see…if this woman says something goes then that's as good as getting Ares to agree on something? I cooooould wait until Ares gets back but then again I just want to go home from this icky place and since I DON'T KNOW when Ares will get back!_

"Then I guess I have no choice," Minako sighed aloud.

"No choice about _what_?" Rei narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"I uhh…I came here to inspect your planet. You know, spend time with you, learn what sort of things you do, that sort of thing. To uhh… improve the relationships between our planets! Aha…hahahahaha….ha…"

_Yeeeeeah right. _They both simultaneously thought.

"Is that so?" Rei finally replied with a raised eyebrow. "Well then, I suppose you can stay."

"Really?!"

"Yes. But if you insist on observing our daily activities then you will be forced to participate in a few as well. Also you must stay close to the guard duty that I assign to you. Do you agree with these terms-"

"Wait! Hold up a sec! Can't I just stay with you?"

"E-Excuse me?" Rei stuttered. She had barely blinked an eye when the blonde had already swooped up beside her and was leaning suggestively into her side.

"I mean, I _am_ a Princess of Venus. And I assume you're the strongest warrior on this planet since you _were_ chosen to be the substitute leader. Wouldn't I be safer with _you_ guarding me?"

And when Rei thought about it, as infuriating as it was, it was a perfectly, logical statement. "I suppose…" Yet she couldn't shake the foreboding feeling that this woman was up to something.

"Great! So you can call me Mina and show me to my room!"

"Mina?" Rei repeated as the energetic girl began to drag her away out of the throne room. What was going on here? This wasn't supposed to be happening!

"Yup! And I'll call you Rei. Sound good?" Minako then interlocked her elbow with one of Rei's despite the armor that separated their flesh.

Rei silently groaned. _What am I getting myself into? _She concluded it was partially due to shock that she was putting up with all of this. From one minute she was staring down a formal representative and the next, the official was acting like a child.

"Whatever. Let's just show you to your room, all right?"

"Aww… don't be like that."

"Hmph."

_Okay, so_ _no big deal...all that changes is that my target is a girl. Easy as cake, _Minako tried assuring herself. _In fact, it might even be easier! No one is going to question two girls hanging out all the time. Besides, I think I just know how to do this._

A grin then lit her face.


	2. Rei 1, Minako 0

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Sailor Moon

**A/N:** Here's the next chapter, enjoy!

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And so by Minako's "request", Rei found herself guiding her unexpected guest down a maze of corridors (though, she was very sorely tempted to ditch her and see what would happen). Unlike many of the other planetary palaces, the Ram Palace was intentionally built to be confusing. If there was ever an invasion and the enemy breached the front lines, they were sure to become lost in the palace. All of the corridors appeared identical to the naked eye. However, the Martian woman knew her way around the palace by code. Even if she were blindfolded, she would be able to navigate her way through it with great ease (every once in awhile she found herself rescuing a stray soldier who made a wrong turn). This was her territory, her domain. Not even the addition of Minako's footsteps beside her own fazed the Martian in the slightest bit; the armor-clad soldier was very familiar with having subordinates tailing after her ever since the War God's departure.

But this, it was the one thing she never expected to deal with in this lifetime.

"...So back at home we prefer to be fashionable with our buildings. White marble is much more chic than red marble and these plain pieces of furniture couldn't possibly be any use to anyone. If you don't use it, at least make it look pleasing to the eye, _make_ people think it has a purpose. I suggest nothing of this wood though, nope! I know my Mother would agree with me whole heartily on this matter. Or maybe it's just that Martians don't have a sense of fashion? If only you had someone to help you… Hmm...I know! _I_ can help you re-decorate! This place is in a need of a fix up anyway and I'm sure I can set you people back onto the road of fashion! So first we need to install windows and..."

The mouth that walked like a girl- a woman's natural gift of gab.

_Are you sure she's the Princess of Venus and not the QUEEN OF TALK? _Rei scowled, but she continued to reluctantly tolerate the other woman. The last thing that she needed was another war on her hands.

"You know… there is a reason why this place doesn't have any windows."

_Like for protection against an invasion. _Rei argued back despite her better judgement. She highly doubted it mattered what she said, or if she said anything at all; she had an inkling that Minako wasn't listening anyway.

How right she was.

"So anyway, tell me about yourself."

"No," Rei said curtly. _Keep walking, keep walking, we're almost there..._

However Minako looked positively shocked at Rei's response. When Rei noticed the other woman staring at her like a goldfish, she was quick to snap,

"What's wrong? You've never heard anyone turn you down before?"

Rei's words hit Minako hard. _Turn me down? NO! Don't tell me she already knows!_ She panicked. Did Rei know of her plan already? _But that's impossible, I didn't say anything! _

_AhhhhhhHHhhHhhh! _

_Or, or perhaps she used one of those Martian abilities? That has to be a possibility since she'd have to be part of the royal family if she's the substitute leader. Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap! Does she have mind reading abilities? Calm down Minako, gotta think things through, Mother is depending on you. Hmm… okay! If I remember correctly… _a _God or Goddess is a title conveyed to the members of the royal family in power. The royal members are also blessed with the Planet's gifts, giving each mother, father, and child unique abilities of their element. And not surprisingly enough, each royal member has powers differing from royal members from the other planets. It's something expected, yet rarely displayed as these powers were treated as precious secrets. Spoil sports. And because of that, I'm in this mess now!_

Minako's unspoken silence had the opposite effect on Rei; she thought she would be glad if the woman would shut up, and was even pleasantly relieved at first when she had. But now, she found the feeling very disturbing- as though it was very unnatural. Before Rei knew what she was doing she found herself already trying to justify herself.

With a quick cough to clear her throat, she rephrased her sentence in a more formal tone.

"Ahem. I meant to say that your visit here has nothing to do with who I am. That information isn't important or has any sort of relevance with your visit. You should be concentrating more on our planet rather than me."

Minako made a pout. "That isn't true! It happens to be a fact that a leader reflects the Planet. So by getting to know you, I am getting to know your Planet."

"The answer is still no."

"EH? But that is so unfair! You've got to give me something to work with! Wait, if I gave you my measurements will you tell me something about yourself?"

"No!" _Jeez, what is wrong with her?!_

Rei then walked away from the other woman in a hastened pace to a door a few steps away where she then abruptly stopped and turned around.

"For the last time, I'm not going to tell you anything. And this," She gestured with a rather stiff hand, "Is your room. _Princess._"

Minako chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully and vowed: _she's not going to get off that easily! _

"Oh? I haven't noticed! Can we go inside?"

With a swift movement the large red room flew aside to reveal its treasured contents. With curious eyes, Minako inched forward around the doorframe until it all came into view.

"WHAAAAAT? No WAY!" She screeched in complete shock.

The place wasn't anything she expected to see in a desert like Mars. In the dead center of the room was a huge pool, surrounded with recently polished tiles made of both gray and white marble. Outside and lining the tiled structure was potted vegetation. Various flowers and long lush green foliage shone from the light reflected off of the pool's, watery surface.

Minako then ran into the room, craning her head around in amazement. The doorway to her left suddenly caught her attention and she bolted like a child into the bedroom.

"Oh wow, oh wow!" She squealed. "Maybe I had you guys all wrong!"

Rei slowly trailed behind the blonde, wondering what sort of training Aphrodite had ordered for her daughter if she turned out to be this immature.

_**Crash!**_

"Eek!"

"?!" Rei charged in through the narrow opening and prepared to attack only to find a blonde mess on the floor. There was no intruder or renegade soldier of any sort. From the looks of it, in her excitement, Minako had merely neglected to look down and tripped over a small foot stool.

_This girl…_ A few strands of Rei's hair stood on end.

"Ahahaha…erm…oops?" Minako said cutely before picking herself up. "I was just so excited that I tripped over this leggy thing. I mean, I didn't expect you to have a place like this! It's just so awesome! And you're saying it's _my_ room? Seriously?"

"That's correct."

"YAY!" Minako launched forward to give the raven-haired beauty a hug but instead she ran into Rei's hand. "Oof! Ouch! ...What was that for?!"

"Running into armor at that speed is plain dangerous... _child_."

"Oh." Minako thoughtfully rubbed her nose. "Sooooo... if you didn't have that all armor on, you'd let me hug you?"

"No."

"But Reeeeeei!"

"Look, I'm glad you like this room but we're kinda in a rush. We have to get you ready."

The sudden change in subject made Minako blink. "Ready? Ready for what?"

Rei finally felt a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "For war of course!"

"W-H-A-T?" She screeched. "F-For war? What war?"

"Unfortunately you came at a very bad time, or good. It depends on how you look at it. At the very least, you know that Mars is a planet of war right?"

"Mm. Well, yeah…"

_Okay, so she's not a complete airhead. _

"Well, then you can probably guess that we're always fighting. Whether it's on our home soil or our enemy's, it doesn't matter to us. It just happens that today's battle is scheduled to take place on Martian soil, and it begins in a few short few hours. Why else do you think no one was around when you arrived?"

_Gee... so Mars is inhabited after all? Could've fooled me. _Minako mentally snorted back when she thought about all that sand and dust. But Rei's statement had intrigued her. _Then what does everyone do here when there isn't a war? They must live somewhere out in the desert because there sure isn't enough room in this palace for an entire civilization!_

"What a minute," Another thought came to mind. "Did you say 'scheduled'? You mean people actually _schedule_ wars?"

"Feh." Rei waved the comment away. "It's not something you would understand right now, so I wouldn't worry about it. Instead, you should concentrate on washing up and putting on some armor. Running into armor is dangerous but running into battle _without_ armor is purely idiotic. You would just be begging for death. Even someone like you should be able to understand that."

The woman paused for a moment when she saw the pleading look on Minako's face.

_Uhh… _

Fearing her guest would burst into tears at any moment, Rei quickly assured her, "If you're worried about killing others, don't. Since I'm assuming this is your first war and first hand battle experience, I'll spare you from the dirty work for now. All you have to do is be there and watch. That's what you came to do right? To spend time with us and see what we do? And you've already agreed that you would join in on a few of our activities. That _was_ a condition for your stay." She reminded the woman. "Or... are you perhaps having second thoughts?"

"N-No! Of course not! It's just…"

"It's just what?"

"I think the zipper to my shirt is stuck! Really...stuck." She made a pathetic tug to emphasize her point. "Could you help me undo it?"

Rei nearly fell over.

Once the problem had been remedied Rei practically scrambled out of that room and waited outside the room doorway, stopping short from dashing out of the quarters completely to say,

"While you're getting ready, I'll need to get you a set of armor. Since the medics are all out doing preparations, will you just tell me your measurements?"

"Ah-ha! So you did want to hear them!" Minako accused from behind a screen flap.

"That's not it! Didn't you just hear a word I said?"

"Will you just tell me your measurements?" She mimicked in a melodic response. "Ta-da, ta-dum de da…"

"Minako…" Rei growled.

"It's Mina to you, Rei-bear."

"R-Rei-bear?!" Rei sputtered. But before she could utter another word of protest Minako shot around the doorway and was in Rei's face, only wearing a tiny towel to cover her stunning body. Rei all but had a heart attack.

"Yup, that's right. So, anyway, I can't…how to say it…? Remember my exact measurements. And since I don't have a measuring tape, why don't you do it for me?" She purred. "You know, like this?" The blonde grasped Rei's stiff hands and placed them on both sides of her waist. "What do you think? Or do you think the towel should go too? I'm sure it's putting the measurements a few precious millimetres off." She tried guiding one of Rei's hands up to her chest and the other towards the back where the knot was.

"You know this-isn't-necessary. Forget about it, I know which set to get you." _Screw this! I'm just going to get a set my size!_ Rei yanked her hands back and quickly darted for the door before Minako could do anything else. But she was forced to skid to a stop when Minako innocently asked,

"Rei? What should I do if I need something?"

"Ask a mai--" _Oh shit, that's right! Everyone is out! _The cold darkness of truth closed in around the Martian. If she was the only one around then who else was going to supervise the blonde?

She gave a little exasperate sigh. She felt a migraine coming on, and she hadn't even gone to battle yet. No, scratch that; even if a dozen battles were squished into a single day, it would be far more relaxing than this.

"You can call me," she finally said. "But don't dawdle! Just hurry up and get ready!"

"Okay!"

Little did Rei know what she was getting into.

(Call one)

"REI! Which is the bath tub and which is the pool?" _The pool has to be the bigger one. But she doesn't have to know that I know._

"The bigger one is the pool." _Duh._

(Call two)

"REI! How do I turn on the bath tub?" _Probably with that knob on the wall… Oh well (heart)_

"There's a knob on the wall. If you turn it, the water will come on. And don't you dare ask me how you turn it off!" She snapped when she saw Minako about to open her mouth again. The girl merely gave her an innocent look before skipping off again.

_I can't believe this! This is a dream- a bad, bad dream._

(Call three)

"REI! Where do you keep the soap and shampoo?"

The Commander groaned.

_This can't be possible... And yet, here I was thinking that there was actually intelligent life on Venus! Silly me..._

_I can't believe she's taking this long just to take a bath! I'd suggest that she'd take a shower, but I've got a feeling it would take twice as long. Damn. And we still have to do a skill assessment on her too. _

It was the usual requirement for all new recruits who entered the Martian military. The soldier's skill level determined his or her training hours, which squadron they would be placed into and their class on the battlefield.

"Rei?" The determined glint in the woman's eyes had caught Minako off guard.

"Regrettably, I'm afraid you leave me with no choice."

"...Rei? What are you--"

_**Scoop**_

"H-Hey! Stop that! Put me down! Where are you taking me?" Although Minako was protesting quite noisily, she was actually enjoying the attention quite a bit.

_Ahhhh…so now Rei will probably take me to bed and have her way with me. Then, it's mission accomplished!_

This would have been fine and dandy if Rei wasn't heading in the opposite direction.

"Umm…Rei? Seriously, where are we going?" _You're going the wrong way!_

The raven-haired woman stopped at the pool's edge and paused as she analyzed their reflection. There was a dark shadow over her face.

Given the surroundings, Minako quickly deduced, "Hey, isn't this by the poo--"

_**Toss, **_**SPLASH!**

"OH MY GODDESS!" Minako broke the surface, coughing and sputtering. "C-C-C-Coooooold! Wh-What did you do that for?!" She protested through chattering teeth. Her arms were pressed tightly against her chest along with the towel she had been wearing before the surprise turn of events.

"This is the fastest way to get you washed up," Rei answered in a matter-of-factly voice. "You can forget the soap, just rinse down. You're going to need a proper bath later, trust me. So, if you would excuse me, I'll shall take my leave and leave you to your work. I'll just be waiting outside."

_Jeez, isn't she a perfect 'gentleman'? _Minako shot her an indignant look and began to blow bubbles atop of the water's surface. _Hmph, how ironic... __For once, I'm starting to wish that my target was a dim-witted, lust-thirsty barbarian. _

But when Rei's steps suddenly slowed, it caused Minako to wonder. Without turning her head, Rei growled in a dark voice,

"AnD ThIs TiMe... DoN'T CaLl Me UnTiL YoU'Re FiTtEd In YoUr ArMoR! Got that?!"

"A-hh…y-yes ma'am!"

_Fudge, this is going to be harder than I thought! With an attitude like that I bet she's still a virgin!_

(Sometime later, after Minako had finished her 'bath')

"How does it fit?"

Rei inspected the armor-adorned blonde with approving eyes._ At least she looks like a soldier now! Although, looking like one and being one is a completely different matter._

Minako twirled on the spot and gave Rei a good look at her new outfit. The girl was dressed head to toe in the red, metallic plates. Each piece was dyed blood-red and had a reflective surface. There was also a sheathed sword strapped to her side.

It was her first time ever wearing a suit of armor. The Venusian had somehow imagined it to be heavier, but despite its size the suit was relatively flexible and unrestricting. For the most part, Minako had nothing much to complain about the armor; in fact, she found it very becoming (perhaps the next fashion tread?). The only thing of concern was the Mars insignia painted on the back piece, which was partially hidden by the cascade of blonde hair.

_Now if only we could have Venus's symbol instead… _She sighed, already predicting Rei's response to such a comment. _But if I said something like that __she'd probably get all huffy over it. But I wonder… Does Venus's armor look like this? Or do we even have an army? I know we have palace guards but we've never really had any fights so I can't say that I know what to expect…_

"I was going to do a skill assessment on you, but it looks like we're out of time. We have to go. So follow me and stay close, I don't need you getting lost." Rei instructed.

Sensing the change in Rei's tone, Minako obediently gave a slight nod as she eyed the woman through her helmet piece.

The pair marched out of Minako's room and made haste through a series of corridors that seemed to lead to the other end of the palace. And as the two women ventured further through the structure, Minako began to notice more signs of life. Before she knew it, the hallway was becoming rather crowded. To either side of her she spotted conversing guards; some of them were discussing some battle-strategy gibberish, which she didn't understand a word of, while others were making predictions on today's outcome. She thought she glimpsed several unarmed civilians as well. They were dressed in white garbs, and many of them hustled around with a clipboard in their hands. Even a stranger such as herself could guess that they were assigned to medical assistance.

_So, everyone was back here all along? _Minako silently questioned. She also took careful note of the people's reactions to her guide.

"Sir, all squads have assembled!" One male saluted. He must have been at least a head taller than her.

"I see. And the medical stations?"

"Medical stations one through twenty has been re-stocked and is ready to go!" Another person in white reported.

Rei nodded. "Have we received any reports on the enemy's position yet?"

"No, I'm afraid not Sir! But a team of scouts had already been dispatched. We should hear word from them soon."

As the number of reports and preparations were being confirmed, Minako soon found herself trailing Rei behind a large crowd. She wasn't used to being ignored, and now that she was all she could hear were Rei's words telling her to 'stay close'. For once, in the longest time, she truly felt out of place and insignificant.

_Stay close huh? Well, doesn't this make things a little difficult?_ She narrowed her eyes.

"Return to your posts. We will depart soon!"

The crowd was quick to obey. Everyone hastened from all sides to get to their positions and Rei finally came back into full view. Only now, she wasn't dressed in the same armor she had met Minako with. The Martian was now dressed in upgraded equipment, giving her a new image of leadership.

"Minako." Rei suddenly called out.

"Y-Yes? I mean, what is it?"

"I will be battling out in the front lines but you are not required to be out there as well. For this battle, I would like you to stay back and watch a safe distance away from the fighting."

"But--"

"A special elite group of guards will be there to protect you. No matter what happens, don't jump into the fight."

Hearing the note of finality in Rei's voice stopped any other protest.

"…Fine."

"Then let us go."

**Tup, tup, tup…**

(Sandy Terrain)

They've only stepped outside of the palace walls but Minako suddenly found herself short of breath. Before them stood the powerful, Martian Army; the soldiers all stood in perfect rows, spanning across the desert sands almost as far as she could see. They were all fairly tall, armed, and, even from a first glance, well trained. Unbelievably, the only sound that could be heard was the wind. No single human voice could be heard; the soldiers were dead silent as their commander stepped onto the grounds. Obedience, loyalty, strength, all of these qualities shone through in both the men and women.

_If their spirits are this well trained then I wonder how strong they are in actual combat… _All thoughts of her mission were temporarily shoved to the back of her mind now.

In the same quiet manner that Rei had been greeted, she returned the greeting with a hard stare. But within that hard stare was a raging fire. Troops and leader communicating in silence with complete understanding- it was truly a sight to behold.

A new shrill of wind blew overhead and the troops all tensed, standing deadly still as if they were listening to something. Minako's heart raced wildly in her chest as this strange new feeling coursed through her.

_Huh?_ _What's that sound? _She wondered if this was what they were listening for.

Meanwhile, Rei had been looking up to the sky where a mass of brown clouds swirled overhead. Minako also turned her gaze up, but it wasn't the clouds that had drawn her attention. Like Rei, she suspected the subject of interest was the whistle she heard in the wind. There was a certain melody playing in it, one that sounded like a flute being played.

The Venusian Princess peered around. _Where is it coming from?_

The blonde was so lost in her thoughts that when Rei finally moved, it had badly startled Minako. She flinched back but Rei ignored the movement. Silently the Martian Commander raised her right arm into the air, before swinging it down across her body and turned with the motion until she had made a complete one eighty-degree turn. Her back was now facing her troops, something considered to be cowardly in battle if it were to an opponent. But in this case, even Minako could figure out that the gesture was a sign of trust for the leader among her solders. Complete trust.

_Oh. I get it now! When she was facing them, she was showing them that she was the leader and asserting her authority…but as soon as she turned her back, she wanted them to know that she trusts them to watch her back if something ever went wrong._

_I wonder if Ares was anything like this… _

And so, following Rei, both the Martian Army and Minako were led towards their opponents. As they approached a certain area, Rei made another set of signals and the main army split into three groups. The center portion stayed with their leader while the other two disappeared behind the sand dunes to either side at a forty-five degree angle.

_What are they doing? _Minako's thoughts were interrupted by a loud roar in her ears. The sound of the flute was growing in intensity.

As the Martian Army ventured onwards, a larger group up ahead came into view. The enemy was restless; many continually rammed the hilt of their spears into the sand as they shouted out incoherent taunts, whereas the quieter ones contributed to the noise by the shuffling of their feet. When a glint of gold came into view Minako's heart almost stopped. At a first glance she had mistaken the color for yellow or orange but it was gold, the trademark color of Uranus's Army. A short-haired, sandy blonde leader stood at the front of the enemy soldiers.

_...Haruka. _Rei recognized. Turning her attention to her charge, she then firmly instructed, "This is where you'll stay for the rest of the battle. If you stick with the guard you'll be fine, so don't go running off! Do you understand?"

"I-I…that is…"

"Speechless? Well, welcome to your first war... _Princess_."

**

* * *

**

**Next Up in HFD, Ch. 3: A Change in Plan**

**The Martian army begins their battle with their long time rival, Uranus. However, there appears to be something else lurking beneath the waters. **

"**Rei. We've finally found 'it.' One half of the key!"**

**The Martian flinched. "What? What in the name of Mars are you babbling about now?"**

"**I've left it in that place. You know where it is. Please take care of it until the next time we meet."**

**What exactly did Haruka leave for Rei?  
**


	3. A Change in Plan

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Sailor Moon

**

* * *

**

"Speechless? Well, welcome to your first war... _Princess_."

Both Minako and Rei took notice of the change in the flute's tone. The sound came as a single, piercing blast.

_**Tweet!**_

_So, she's finally getting serious!_ Rei inwardly smirked. On the far side of the battlefield she could also see her opponent openly smirking back. It was obvious that the Uranus leader had no intention of concealing her excitement.

Minako, on the other hand, wished she could say she was as enthusiastic about the battle as the two commanders were, but, sadly, she wasn't. The woman unconsciously shuffled her weight between her feet.

_I have a bad feeling about this…_ She secretly hoped no one could sense her uneasiness. She knew full well that she would look ridiculous amongst the fearless Martian Army if they knew. In fact, it would be considered down-right insulting; even though she was from another planet, she was still wearing their armor and was walking alongside these great soldiers. If she flubbed this up, she feared that she would never live such an embarrassment down. The prospect of being ridiculed or having other people point fingers at her in a taunting way just didn't appeal to her.

Perhaps it was the suit of armor or perhaps she had been standing in the sun for too long, but the Venusian was starting to feel light-headed and dizzy. As Minako tried to bat away the oncoming nausea, her thoughts began to wander in her moment of weakness; they burrowed deep inside her soul, delving further and further against her wishes but she couldn't stop it. She suddenly felt lost and confused, until, finally, all concern about how sick she felt was swept away like a leaf in the wind. Her conscious thought had reached the door of its goal, the very thing that the woman had kept locked away in the furthest recesses of her mind.

_This is…_ Minako blinked and she found herself in front of a tightly bolted, metal door.

Back on the battlefront, Rei's eyes flickered back over to her new charge only to see a vacant expression plastered all over her face.

"There's nothing to be afraid of. After you've seen one war they're all the same." Rei tried to tell her. But when Minako didn't respond, Rei grew suspicious that the condition was inspired by more than simple fear. "Minako. Minako!" The raven-haired woman called sternly. Again there was no response other than light trembling.

Rei glanced back at her troops behind them, seeing them all watch her silently. Their outward appearance hadn't changed since they had set off for the battle but Rei could sense the mild pique of curiosity.

_They aren't concentrating on the battle! _Rei mentally scolded, then looked back to Minako. _Because...of her. _

She needed to resolve the problem and quick. That was when a solution sprung to mind.

**SLAP!**

"Wha--?" Minako blinked and her hand reflexively came up to touch the bright, red mark imprinted on her left cheek. She looked to Rei for some explanation, and shivered at the icy, detached gaze directed at her.

"Don't… ignore me."

Despite the stinging on her cheek, Minako felt like she had been hit with a bucket of ice cold water.

_I…_

_**TWEET!**_

Uranus's Army suddenly bolted into a full out charge, drawing Rei's attention back to the field. She noted how Haruka wasn't wasting any time to send out all of her soldiers into the first wave.

_What is she planning? Why is she sending them all at once?!_

It wasn't an uncommon strategy in war. It was easier to wear the enemy down by sending soldiers out in waves, weakening the other side down until a final wave could completely wipe them out. What Uranus was doing was completely illogical. However, even as the golden army barrelled down towards them, the Martian soldiers steadily remained at their posts. Minako couldn't understand why no one was doing anything. The ground was practically vibrating beneath her boots.

_Wait a minute. _Rei's ears pricked up upon hearing something else in the wind. _So, that's it!_

Rei lifted her right hand into the air and gestured to the troops behind her. Next, she withdrew her sword. Its long, sharp blade reflected light as it was drawn out, right down to its hilt. The hilt was made with the same color of the Martian Army's armor and it bore the planet's insignia as virtually all else on the planet. However any bystander would immediately notice the difference of the two comparisons; the massive power that the blade radiated, it surely couldn't have been made from ordinary scraps of metal.

Still in shock, Minako wasn't prepared for the next thing she saw. Rei suddenly broke towards the sea of gold alone!

"Rei!" Minako shouted.

_What is she doing?!_

When she tried to take off after the woman, three Martian medics cut off her path and shook their heads at her in disapproval. Despite the humiliation she suffered at the hands of the Martian leader moments before, she certainly didn't wish for her death!

"What do you think you're doing?! Get out of my way! You can't possibly expect her to fight them all by herself!"

"Lady Venus, please calm down…" One of the male medics nervously said.

"Don't you dare tell me to 'calm down' you-" she paused, and then did a double take at the man in front of her. "Wait, you're… you're that attendant who showed me in when I first arrived."

_He's the 'Ares fan boy'._ She realized (though, she doubted she would ever forget something like that).

"Yes, that's right! I'm happy that you remembered me." The man beamed. "My name is Zen. Although, I'm guessing that introductions are probably the last thing you want to do right now."

"RAAAAAAH!"

Minako's ears were nearly deaf with the roar of soldier's cries.

"Who in their right mind would?!" She snapped back. "This is serious! Don't any of you have any common sense? Even if Gods and Goddesses are immortal, they can still die in battle!" There was an uncomfortable silence amongst the troops and the three medics. Thinking that she was perhaps making progress, Minako pressed on. "Is that what you want? Do you want your leader to die?"

They turned their heads away.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!"

_**TWEET!**_

This time it was not the flute but a whistle that hit the air, and it came from the Martian leader. The two sections of the army that had split off just short of the battlefield now re-appeared atop of the sand dunes on either side of the opposing army. Surprised shouts and shocked warnings flew through the air, but the golden-clad soldiers were having difficulty stopping their momentum. They were virtually sitting ducks as the Martians pierced their ranks from both sides.

"It…it was planned?" The words stumbled out of Minako's mouth. _Oh man, did I just make a fool of myself again? I am really, really bad with this war stuff. _She groaned.

"That it was." Zen laughed. "But I wouldn't let our guards down quite yet…"

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"Just do as Commander said and stay close to us." As soon as the words left his mouth the central Martian army then formed a circle around them. All of the soldiers faced outwards in various directions.

Down on the main battlefield, with a rare smirk Rei gave another signal and a wave of her outermost troops from the central group joined the fight. If one were to look down from the sky above the feuding armies, the three sections of red resembled something like the jaws of an animal closing down upon its prey. And they clashed.

_**Clang!**_

"Damn it!" Haruka yelled. She too then moved to join her troops below. _I was hoping that if I stayed above I would be able to pick this sort of plan up before it happened!_ She then took a course of immediate action to aid her soldiers.

"Taaaaake, THIS!" She cried.

_**WOOOOOOOOOSH!**_

Haruka swung down her sword and a stream of wind ripped a path through the red soldiers. But they kept on coming and with them, Rei.

Rei closed the distance between herself and Haruka fast. "HAAA!"

_**CLANG!**_

Haruka had parried Rei's attack split seconds before they brought their swords together again.

_**Ting! Ting! Zwip!**_

"That was quite the stunt you pulled there!" Haruka grunted out through a grimace as she pushed back against Rei's attack. "Grrrah!"

Rei shuffled-stepped back as her opponent lunged and made five consecutive swings in a row, each narrowly missing the Martian. The sixth and last one however nicked Rei's cheek and drew a small trickle of blood.

**Zwip!**

"That's one!" Uranus's commander proudly grinned.

_Geh…!_ Rei slid back against the sand and fought for balance. Haruka may be impulsive and reckless, but she was still taller than she was and had quite a bit of power to spare.

"Hah!" Rei counterattacked the charging blonde by swinging her sword in an upward vertical motion and forced the woman to leap back. By the time her opponent re-established contact with the ground, the raven-haired woman had already lunged in pursuit and promptly made a diagonal side slash. Unfortunately for Haruka the attack hit its mark and made a cut into her arm through the small break in her armor. The attack, however, had also hit a fundamental strap, knocking the arm guard clean off.

**Zwap**!

"Even!" Rei declared with a huff of breath.

Haruka maneuvered into a safe distance between herself and Rei before she narrowed her dark green eyes. Both leaders were aware of their troops battling all around them but they both held their positions and stared the other down.

_Nice accuracy. As I expected, she's gotten better. _"Heh. Perhaps I took you too lightly after all!"

Rei immediately grew suspicious of Haruka's attitude. _Did I hear right, or is my hearing going? Why did she just admit to a fault? Not only is it against her nature but a leader should never admit a mistake!_

"Your point is?" She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Oh…It's nothing." The woman waved nonchalantly. "But I _do_ hope your blonde friend up there will be all right."

_**TWEEEEET!**_

The wind picked up and another series of clashing rang through the air. Rei whipped her head around just in time to see her main central group mingling with a color of gold.

"A second squad?" Rei whispered.

_Where did they come from?!_

She could barely make out Minako in the crowd. The woman was being guarded by the three medics as planned but she was looking extremely stressed. Briefly their eyes met.

Rei gritted her teeth; Haruka wouldn't go that far would she? Did she even know that she was planning on attacking a diplomat from another planet?

"Pay attention, I'm right here!" Rei barely had time to lift her sword against the tall blonde.

_**Ting!**_

"Augh!"

"You shouldn't be turning your attention away from your opponent!"

"And you shouldn't be going after a diplomat!" Rei spat back.

"What?"

"That 'blonde' you were talking about isn't from Mars. She's Aphrodite's daughter, you impulsive, dim-witted moron! She's here on a visit!"

"Is that so…?" Haruka darkly muttered. "Oh well."

_Huh?!_

"Then I guess you'll just have to do something about that now, won't you?"

Both combatants' faces drew close as they leaned into their swords.

"You won't stop them?" Rei hissed between exhausted breaths.

"I can't." Haruka whispered back. "You should know that better than anyone else. If there is no apparent reason to withdraw then it's all over. Uranus's people take great pride in their strength. With our long-standing rivalry and all, these fights with Mars are especially important in their eyes! Simply withdrawing won't cut it."

"Hmph, like you'll need to worry about that! Do you even know how much longer you have to live? It can happen at any time. HER too! Anyone could be next!"

Haruka lowered her gaze. "I know that, but…"

"But what?! What kind of excuse did you make up this time? You can't keep running from this, Haruka!"

Rei involuntarily bit her tongue when her friend looked her straight in the eye.

"Rei. Hino Rei, my long time friend… We've found it-- one half of the key."

The Martian flinched. "What? What in the name of Mars are you babbling about now?"

"You know what I'm talking about. It's _not_ just a rumour, we can do this! This isn't some wild dream anymore."

Rei felt her heart skip a beat. "A-Are you serious Haruka?"

(At the Second Front)

_Rei..._ Minako nervously glanced back at the two leaders caught in a deadlock. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice the glint of gold behind her.

"I've got you now, Martian SCUM!"

"Watch out!" Zen shouted. There was a quick flurry of movements before the enemy's corpse lifelessly slumped to the ground. Small droplets of red hung in the air as the body fell, seeming to fall in slow motion before Minako's eyes.

_**Thud.**_

"Z-Zen," Minako was having difficulty finding her voice. "But you're a medic, aren't you...?"

The Venusian Princess felt a chill seeping into her as she watched her enemy's blood stain the pale-red sand. The image disturbed her. Seeing so much death, even as it was happening all around her, it never really sunk in. But now that she was seeing it up close, it was very real.

"I don't understand. Aren't you supposed to…?"

"Save lives?" He finished her sentence and gave a slight bow his head, willing his long dark-brown hair to fall over his shadowed eyes. For a moment his face was twisted in pain.

"A medic in the Martian army isn't just a healer. We are also elite _killers_. Normal soldiers are trained to have impeccable fighting skills, but to be a medic, or also known as part of the elite soldier class, we must be strong soldiers with knowledge of healing as well." He took a deep breath as if to strengthen his resolve. "Sometimes... we must kill to save lives. I just saved yours. Isn't that good enough?"

Hearing the partially concealed pain in his voice calmed Minako down a bit. She understood now.

_Watching someone killing another being, and doing the deed yourself, are two completely different things…_

"And please. I know I shouldn't be saying this, but I'm begging you to forgive the Commander for laying her hand on your cheek earlier! I'm not sure what the situation was, but by military code, if a soldier shows disobedience and they are not disciplined, the troops may lose confidence in their leader. Since you are dressed like one of us, many expect you to abide by our customs. That's why the Commander did what she did. It was a show of respect- not just to us, but to you as well."

Minako gave a slight nod of her head, and then stood up to face the battle once more.

"…I understand. Thank you for telling me that."

(The First Front)

At a distance away, Rei was still caught up in Haruka's words.

_She actually found it? ...But how?_

Before Rei could inquire about the matter further Haruka grunted, "I can only hope... that you're up for some more babysitting! YaH!" She gave a final push into her sword to once again create a distance between them.

Snapping back to reality, Rei dug her back heel into the sand and shot instinctively forward for one final blow. Haruka followed the action with equally vicious intent. They crossed paths and passed each other.

**SLASH!**

The air around them warped and stilled as if time itself were frozen. The two combatants held their finishing movement and waited for the blow to make itself known.

_**Splut- SHHHHHHHH!**_

"Gah!"

"Ugh!"

Rei was the first one to discover her wound. She felt the warm blood staining her hand from her side, but she was not ashamed; Haruka was a good fighter, and she had received a similar wound.

"It's a draw." Rei coughed.

"Yeah, I guess so." Haruka closed her eyes as she tried to hold back her own painful gasping of breath.

With that both leaders simultaneously whistled and commanded their armies to retreat.

The soldiers all looked up to see the end result of the day and saw that they would surely meet again for a final outcome in the future. As Uranus retreated the Martian soldiers honourably obeyed their end of the deal and allowed their opponents to walk away with their backs turned.

"Haruka," Rei winced from her wound.

"I've left it in that place. You know where it is. Please take care of it until the next time we meet. Until then, I'll see you later."

Rei waited until Haruka was out of sight before she trudged back with her own troops, back to where Minako was waiting.

_That place huh?_

"Commander!" Zen nearly tripped over himself to rush to her side.

Minako also gasped. "Rei, you're hurt!"

"Hm?" Rei blinked twice before looking back down at her wound. Instead of the usual pain that came with it, Rei couldn't help but feel nostalgic.

_Haruka…she really got me good this time. That troublesome woman…_

"It's nothing serious."

"But---!" Zen tried to protest.

In a firmer voice Rei growled, "Forget about it. There are more important matters to take care of! What's our estimated casualty count?"

"We think one to two hundred." The medic reluctantly answered. _I hate it when she does this! Even though she says her wound is fine it doesn't mean it doesn't hurt. Leaders!_

"I see. Well, you know what to do with the bodies. Please see to it that they receive a proper burial. You are dismissed."

"Yes ...Sir."

Minako quietly watched Zen walk away before she whirled on Rei. "Okay, what the hell did you do that for? All he wanted to do was help you!"

_I don't have time for this. _

"There's something that I need to take care of. I'll have a few of the medics guide you back to the palace."

"Hold it! You aren't going anywhere until I get an answer." She caught Rei's arm stubbornly, to which Rei immediately pulled out of the blonde's grip.

"An answer? For what?!" She glared.

"Look, maybe you're putting too much of yourself into this whole leader image. If someone offers you help, then take it! That wound isn't going to go away by itself."

"No thanks."

"Listen, you! I'm not leaving until you give me a GOOD answer." Minako persisted.

Rei coughed again before she wearily relented."Then I guess you're stuck with me for a while longer. But if you insist on coming along then you better be ready for some exercise!"

_Oh, I'll get an answer from you yet! _Minako vowed. _With everything that's happened though... I think I'm finally starting to learn something about her._

(Desert)

The pair walked away from the dissipating army and ventured far into the desert. All around them, as far as the eye could see, they were surrounded by miles of sand dunes. What were they supposed to be looking for out here? What was important enough to make the stubborn Martian commander wander off into the desert _wounded_?

From one glance Minako could tell that Rei wasn't fairing as well as she had so boldly claimed earlier.

"Hey, Rei...? Maybe you should slow down and try to take it easy."

"Don't be ridiculous!" The Martian snapped back.

_If it is what Haruka says it is, then __I've got to find it. Fast._

"What are we doing out here anyway?"

Silently Rei kept leading them further through the hot sun. It was becoming so hot that, at one point, Minako even considered shedding her armor. Tentatively she began to tug at her arm guards.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Rei muttered off-handedly.

"Eh? But why not? It's boiling hot out here!"

"Becaaaussse... that armor is especially made for desert-like conditions. If you take it off, you'll quickly find this place to be three times hotter than you think it is now."

"Irk."

"Anyway, we're almost there."

Minako glanced around. "What do you mean 'we're almost there'? Almost where? I don't see anything. All there is is sand, sand and more sand."

"You didn't notice them then." Rei uncharacteristically chuckled.

"Notice what?" Minako huffed. _I hate it when she treats me like a kid!_

"The flowers." Rei bent down and shifted aside a handful of sand to reveal a small, red flower. It was even redder than the sand surrounding it.

_Ooooh, I see it now._ Minako silently awed as she bent down for a closer look. It surprised her at how gently Rei treated the plant.

"These flowers grow in paths that almost look like rivers. In a sense, they 'flow' all around the planet. In Martian lore, it is said that they are the souls of fallen warriors because they flourish especially after battle. Other than that... no one has been able to come up with another explanation of why these flowers are able to grow in a desert like this."

"They're so pretty..."

Rei nodded. "Mhm. The place that we're going to is at the heart of this stream. It's still a bit of a walk from here but if we hurry we'll be there in no time."

Again the two moved forward, passing more of the flowers as they made distance. It wasn't until sometime later that a figure came into view. Rei was the first to notice it.

Gesturing with one hand, the woman motioned Minako to stop. "I'll need you to stay here, all right? I'll go check it out."

"What? By yourself? No way! I don't care if you're this planet's leader, you're _still_ injured!"

"But I have more experience with surprise attacks than you do. Even if I'm…inhibited, I'll still survive. Besides, if you were forced to fight do you really think you could take a life?"

The comment caught Minako off-guard. Unable to answer the question, the Venusian reluctantly found herself left behind as Rei went off to inspect the figure up ahead.

She was able to momentarily distract her frustration by watching flower petals that had been swept up by the light breeze.

_The wind...It feels so nice! Where did this breeze come from? _She wondered.

**Tup…tup…tup.**

Up ahead, the Martian commander's footsteps slowed to a stop.

_...What? Is this a joke, Haruka?_

Rei's eyes were widening in shock as she analyzed the curled up figure in the bedding of flowers.

"You left me a kid?"

From what Rei could see, the child was a young girl- barely five, perhaps. She was wearing a set of dark, slightly baggy clothes and had short, dark hair to match. Within a few seconds, sensing Rei's presence, the girl opened her eyes to reveal a pair of dark, purple eyes.

The Martian Commander eyed the child warily as she pushed herself up into a sitting position and stared back at her, tilting her head at her with great curiosity. She didn't know what to think.

_This child… Could she be an orphan?_

Surely Haruka wouldn't abduct a kid on a simple whim; the Martian highly doubted that the wind ruler had the heart to tear someone away from their family, especially a child.

"Do you have a name?"She asked the girl.

"Hotaru." The girl said cutely. She looked like she was about to fall asleep any minute. "Where's papa? Are you... Auntie Rei?"

Rei felt a few strands of her hair stick out of place again.

"W-WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!"

_Haruka... the next time I see you, I'm going to kill you for real!_

"Awww, she's so cute!" Minako squealed. Before Rei could blink the woman was hanging all over her shoulder. "You can call me Auntie Minako."

"What a second. What do you think you're doing? We still don't know anything about her!"

"Oh, pish posh Rei. She's only a kid. What harm could she do?"

"..."

Hotaru gave a big yawn. "Sweepy…"

"Awwww! You're so cute that I could just give you a big h---OOF!" Minako tried to give Hotaru a large hug but she tripped over Rei's foot (which had been conveniently placed in her way) and did a face plant with the ground.

"Ouch! Okay, what did you do that for? I wasn't going to hug YOU, you know?"

_Since you'd probably just throw out your hand at the last minute again. My nose is still sore from that last attempt!_

"What have we learned about armor?"

Minako blinked back at her. "That running into it isn't safe?"

"Yeah, and?" Minako gave her a dumb stare as Rei bent down to pick up Hotaru. The small girl readily accepted Rei's presence and almost instantly fell back into a slumber. The woman sighed.

"Lesson number two, child: Hugging a person that isn't wearing armor, when you _are_, will C-R-U-S-H them. _Especially_ if it's a small kid."

"Feh…" _I knew that, sorta…_

"If you're done with sitting on your rear end, then let's get going. We can't stay out here for much longer without experiencing some sort of problem."

With that resolved Rei and Minako started to re-trace their steps when Minako suddenly asked,

"Can I hold her?"

"No."

"Mm... how 'bout now?"

"No!"

"Pleeeease? She's so adora-!"

"I said, NO! Shit, now look what you did! You woke her up."

"...Your fault."

"Wha--My fault?! Why you-"

Rei had a funny feeling that it was going to be a looooong walk back.

**

* * *

**

**Next up in HFD, Ch. 4: A Lost Child**

**What is Haruka up to, and what does it have to do with the child named Hotaru?**

**Also, Minako is about to get a tour of the city. Will she finally learn something more about Rei? Or will it turn out to be just another frustrating day?**


	4. A Lost Child

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sailor Moon.

**A/N:** Somewhat larger chapter than usual.

**

* * *

**

After finding a way to calm Hotaru back to sleep, the group finally left behind the sweet fragrance of flowers and stepped back towards the unrelenting, sandy dunes. From the very first moment that they stepped onto the barren land, the rough, dry air forcefully invaded their lungs and blew sand up into their eyes. Minako shuddered terribly; although the armor indeed sheltered her from the brunt of the heat, she could have sworn that it had got hotter once again. The Venusian glanced over at her companion and guide. Despite her injury, the Martian commander appeared unaffected by the drastic change in environment. Instead, it appeared that she was devoting her efforts into protecting her new charge. She had removed both her arm guards and her helmet, and equipped them to the child.

Dragging her heels through the heavy sand, Minako quietly fought the increasing surge of envy she felt from Hotaru.

_Look at her, sleeping so peacefully and in Rei's arms too! Argh! _

_Oh, what are you doing, Minako?!_ The blonde shook her head to the side and held a hand to her brow to steady herself. _What am I thinking? The heat must be getting to me because this is just nuts! I'm an adult! A Goddess to be precise! Why should someone like me be jealous of a little kid like her? Just because Rei likes her better than me... _Realizing what she had just thought she was quick to contradict, _Wait, nu-uh! It's not like that at all! I'm only here for the mission. Yeah, that's it. Once it's all over, I'm outta here. I'll go home, and then I'll..._

_I'll...Wait, when it's done, what am I going to do?  
_  
She paused.

On the other hand, Rei wasn't fairing as well as the show she put up. They had been marching steadily for close to an hour now. Sweat gleamed as it poured down the sides of her temples, steadily increasing with the growing thirst she felt from dehydration. Yet she worried for Hotaru more; Rei's arms were trembling now. Without her arm guards her delicate skin was quickly becoming burnt, ravaged mercilessly by both the sun and the very air she breathed.

_This isn't good…_ Rei winced when a few sand grains flew into her eye. _Ow! _She instinctively shook her head but was unable to draw the solid out. _Geh_. _If I could only use my arms…_ She tried to pull a hand up close to her face, but it was no use. She just didn't have the strength anymore. She wondered how much longer she could carry the girl at all.

_I can't ask that Minako person to carry this girl for me, that's definitely out of the question. She's just another diplomat. Until she came here, she didn't have any battle experience at all. _

Rei gave a heavy sigh. From what she knew, she figured the Venusian had as much arm strength as the girl she was short, she was useless. Why did she even consider asking for help in the first place?

"_Look, maybe you're putting too much of yourself into this whole leader image. If someone offers you help, then take it! That wound isn't going to go away by itself."_

_That wound isn't going to go away by itself._ Although the Martian couldn't see it, she could still feel liquid dripping down her leg and making a squishy mess at the bottom of her boot.

Rei deeply scowled.

_I don't need help! I am the Martian Commander; I was chosen to lead the people in Ares' place. There is no one else on this planet who is my equal. I'm strong. I was chosen because I'm not--_

"THAT'S NOT IT AT ALL!" Minako abruptly bellowed, and Rei nearly fell over in surprise.

"W-What's not it?" The Martian whirled around tensely. Her eyes flew wildly around their surroundings, anticipating the worst.

"I-I erm… ahahaha… it's umm… nothing." Minako replied flatly with a small wave. Her face was extremely flushed but whether it was from embarrassment or the heat, Rei couldn't tell (although she had an inkling it was a mixture of both). "Forget about it."

"…"

"Oh don't give me that look! I'm fine, FINE, see?" The blonde plastered a smile on her face. "I'm smiling and therefore, I'm happy. Yup, nooooothing wrong with good o'l Minako. Hahaha….haha…"

_I knew it. The heat has finally gotten to her._ _She's completely delirious now._

Rei sweat dropped as she watched the woman proceeded to rant about the differences between a sweltering, hot ball of gas (the Sun) and her smile. _Maybe we should just start sprinting for the palace and see how it goes?_ But that idea was quickly tossed out into the desert when Minako began to pull at the corners of her mouth in an impossible attempt to widen her smile further.

"Minako? What are you doing...?" Rei stared. _That actually looks pretty painful..._

"Smiiiling ish good... I mean, ahem, there's warmth from a smile and the Sun is really warm too, so since the sun is big, the bigger the smile, the more warmth there is, right?"

"Uhh... Sure. Minako? Could you come over here for second?" Rei tried again.

"I—Hm?" Her heart nearly leapt from her chest when Rei's bare hand came up suddenly and pressed up lightly against her fevered brow. Her nerves were suddenly alert, concentrating on the cool flesh. _Gah! She's touching me! _Her feet instinctively flinched to shuffle back when the word 'mission' floated back to mind. _Wait a minute, what am I thinking? Isn't this supposed to be a good thing? _

"A fever." Rei stated confidently before falling silent. She took a moment to stare at Hotaru in her arms, noting the discomfort on her face, before she threw a backward glance at Minako, who stared dumbly at her with a flush face.

_At this rate, we'll be finished before we even reach the palace. I guess we'll have to take that route after all, but... I really didn't want to go there again._

Minako watched Rei with great curiosity as the woman sudden wandered off to the side.

"Rei, where are you going? I thought we were supposed to go straight." She pointed for emphasis.

Rei examined Minako with weary eyes. "That was the plan, but faced with these circumstances I decided it would be best if we took an alternative path. It's faster and we'll get to the palace in no time."

"Are you saying that you knew a short cut and just decided not to use it?"

"Maybe."

"Since, since, since way back when we first walked into the desert?" Minako could hardly believe her ears.

"Pretty much."

"...STUPID REI!" Minako nearly screeched.

"What is it now?!"

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! WE COULD HAVE GONE BACK RIGHT AWAY INSTEAD OF SUFFERING FROM THIS HEAT AND, AND, AND, Don't you care about Hotaru at ALL? She's only a kid and you're having us wandering around unnecessarily! It's bad for her health! In fact it's bad for all of our health! Augh, never mind that, just look at you, you're practically on the verge of collapse!" Minako shook her head. "Oh, I knew this was a bad idea. Here, let me take her for a bit, you're obviously tired. Take some time to rest. You can show us the way while I'll hold onto Hotaru and everything will be good. Okay...?" She finally breathed. There was something of a pained, exasperated expression on her face.

Rei blinked back with a blank stare. The woman's words did have an effect, but not the one that she had been hoping for.

_You're on the verge of collapse? Everything will be good?_

The words were as good as taking a shot at her pride. The Martian returned the comment with a cold, defiant glare.

"I don't need your help!"

Although the response was something to be expected it didn't mean that it was the one the blonde Goddess wanted to hear.

"Now you're just being unreasonable. Why can't you act more like you're age? Don't make me come over there and baby you," She warned with thinning patience.

"You're one to talk."

"Excuse me? I'M the one to talk? I'm starting to get sick and tired of this attitude! Why won't you let people help you? Or is it that you don't trust me? I can understand if that's the case but you had no excuse to brush Zen off the way you did."

"Who?"

"Argh, I can't believe you!" Minako threw her hands up in the air. "Don't you even know your subordinates' names?!"

Actually, Rei did- very well in fact. However, her stubbornness wasn't about to allow her royal-pain-in-the-rear-end get an edge on her that easily.

"He was the man who was trying to tell you to get patched up, a trained medic at that! Do you have a death wish or something? And don't you even think of telling me that it's the 'Martian Way' because I just don't buy that load of crap."

Rei felt her body shake as rage began to consume her. Her self-control had been steadily deteriorating from a combination of heat, muscle aches and pains, and fatigue, but now she was really ticked off. Minako's words had caused the battle fire within Rei to flare up so greatly that it materialized again as a powerful aura surrounding the Martian.

_What the hell do you know?! You're just some stranger who walked into my life, my home, and all you've done is criticize our way of life!_ _What gives you the right? You think you're so special because you're a Goddess but it's really nothing special at all! _

_How dare you!_

Noticing she had struck a nerve, more softly this time, Minako whispered, "I didn't mean to make you angry. I just, people care about you... you know?"

_You won't trust me, even a little bit?_

This time, her words had hit the mark. Everything that had been building up deep inside was washed away by a calm wave of sanity. Who was she about to label as her next, unlucky victim? Just another diplomat; just a spoiled little girl from Venus, a person who didn't possess a shred of knowledge about fighting other than what she had learned thus far in her stay. Rei suddenly felt ashamed for almost losing control so easily. What would have happened if she hadn't been stopped and came back to her senses?

Rei took a deep breath and concentrated, bending her emotions with accordance to her will. Her aura died down and faded back inside her body. The atmospheric pressure around them lowered and everyone could breathe a little easier again.

Then in a relatively calm voice she answered Minako's earlier question. "That's that's not it. It's just... Don't go around talking about something you can't understand."

"But if you told me I'm sure I could. How can I _not_ understand? Sure, I may look like an airhead but I can be serious too."

Silently, with her back facing Minako, Rei held up her hand and concentrated to form a small disc of red light into the palm of that hand.

_Understand me huh? That's a new one…_ The red light in her hand began to revolve in a clockwise direction. If her hunch was correct, it should be right about here. _But that isn't possible. No matter what you say, I refuse to allow myself to fall into the same trap as Haruka!_

Minako tilted her head and peered curiously at her companion's strange action.

_What is she doing?_

"Ha!" Rei thrust her hand into an invisible barrier, cracking a small surface. The rest of the light spread out from the indent and flew out and around, illuminating the once invisible wall. Minako could only watch in complete awe as a city began to materialize right before her eyes.

"Ahh…" _Oh wow! So I guess people really do live in the desert after all!_

In a blink of an eye, large buildings replaced the desert. A market place filled with tents and booths bloomed within a large square where the four main roads intersected. The taller buildings, with their simple, white structures, appeared to contrast brightly against the red sand, the very place that their foundation was built upon, but the sighting of life forms lit a fire of curiosity within the Venusian Princess.

_People! _

There were women gathered in small groups outside the houses, young children running about and playing various games and activities, and to Minako's surprise, there were even men bartering goods and having drinks in good nature within the market place. When images of the Martian Army came back to mind, she couldn't help but wonder how a city of war could be so peaceful.

_I thought everyone would be a part of the army or something. There were so many men and women soldiers, and these people have battles frequently… Where else could they get their soldiers from? _

Farther down their line of vision, beyond the city square, was the Ram Palace- their destination.

"Surprised?" Rei prodded.

Minako weakly nodded. "Yeah, but... what did you do exactly? Where did this all come from? It wasn't here a minute ago, and certainly not when I first arrived!" Rei blinked and gave her a skeptical 'are you kidding?' look. "What? No, seriously! I don't know what just happened! Is it a type of magic or something?"

Taking this new information into careful consideration, Rei could only come up with one possible explanation for this.

"Well, if you've never seen this kind of thing before, then it must mean that Venus doesn't have the system installed. Everyone other planet has it as far as I know. Huh. Ah well, what should I have expected from the planet of 'love'?"

"Stop teasing me. What kind of system are you talking about?" Minako huffed. The woman also noticed how Rei was subtly trying to draw the attention away from Hotaru. But as much as Minako would've liked to 'ding' the Martian for it, she instead placed that thought on a temporary hold.

"Okay I'm listening, so lay it on me oh great leader of Mars."

_Hmph. Smart ass._

"I'm talking about the Planet Core Defence System, or otherwise known as the PCDS. Is it still not ringing a bell, Princess?" Seeing the blank stare she was receiving from Minako, she logically deduced that the answer must have been a 'no'.

_Erm…. I guess not then. _Sighing inwardly, she felt the oncoming headache as she attempted to elaborate further.

"All right, if you want to know then you better listen up, because I'm only going to explain this to you once. In the past, all of the planets used to be united under a common name. But one day, some Gods and Goddesses decided to go separate ways, and because of it, you have the two alliances that we have today: one of these is the Inner Alliance. This involves Mercury and Mars. The other alliance is the Outer Alliance, which is collaboration between Uranus and Neptune. So far, only Venus and Jupiter are officially considered to be neutral planets." Rei paused and glanced at Minako, almost daring the woman to say something. Minako, on the other hand, innocently blinked back. She wasn't sure what the Martian expected from her but she was still anxious to hear the rest of the story.

_Yeah, like the people of love would want to join in the fight. _Rei resisted the urge to roll her eyes. _Well, that's one possibility for her visit down. What else could she possibly want from us?_

"Anyway, because we're always fighting, we requested Mercury to construct a cloaking system for our cities. Out of all the inhabited planets, well, except for Venus, we were the last ones to receive the technology. The whole point of it is to have a means to protect the planet's citizens from an unexpected ambush if there ever is one. It's like creating a separate dimension just for this purpose. When it's activated, you'll walk through the city like it wasn't there. That's why you thought it was an empty desert when you first arrived. The same goes for the people inside of the barrier; they won't know where you are or even of your existence while the barrier is in place."

Minako looked thoughtful.

_I wonder if we really don't have something like that on Venus. It sounds like a good thing from what I'm hearing about it so far. Surely Mother knows about this? I mean, Rei just said that every other planet has it. _Minako paused. The digested information suddenly seemed flawed.

_Wait_…_every other planet has it?_

"Hey, didn't you just say that practically every planet has it now? If your ally created it, then how did everyone else get it too?"

"We let them have it."

"Oh I see, well that makes sens—Wait! You mean you LET everyone else have it? But wouldn't that be a disadvantage to you?"

"You've noticed that huh? Well, why not?" Rei shrugged. "Our soldiers have no interest in picking a fight with the weak and defenceless. And every planet has the right to try to protect their citizens. Besides, battles always take place on battlefields, not civilian concentrated cities."

Minako was still a little confused but she nodded just the same. _Then what's the whole point to war? Wasn't it to kill or conquer or something like that? But it's not? Hmm…I still don't get it. I don't get this at all._

"You'll understand it later. Maybe as we pass through the place." Rei offered.

"Maybe…"

_Sometimes I wonder how much I can truly understand…_ Minako quietly confessed to herself. This wasn't going according to plan at all.

"Well, then I guess we should get going."

Rei turned to go but was stopped by a sudden tapping on her shoulder guards. When the Martian Commander turned around she instantly found Minako in her face, smiling dangerously, and one hand clutching her bare arm firmly, bringing Rei to wince due to her sunburn.

"Ah, ah, ah, _first_ hand over the kid." Minako chirped. "You really didn't think I'd forget now, did you?"

Rei twitched.

(Down in the market place)

Hotaru heard the ruckus pick up around them, and gave a small yawn as she stretched and sat up to see what was so interesting. What she saw brought an angelic smile to her face; there were so many funny dressed people and brilliantly flashing colours of fabric hanging from the nearby booths. She couldn't resist bouncing in Minako's arms as she earnestly pointed at the people and structures that they passed by. Hotaru's occasional bursts of squeals drew some curious stares in their direction. But regardless of what her people thought, whether they thought the child was like herself, one of their own, Rei knew that they were only capable of seeing Hotaru as the epitome of childhood innocence. For a brief moment, she had nearly convinced herself of that as well. If only it weren't for Haruka's cryptic message...

"Man?" She pointed at a passing stranger.

"No silly, that's a WO-man." Minako giggled at the girl in her arms. "Or, at least I think they are. That clothing…tsk."

"Minako!" Rei chided, her loud voice brought her two charges to flinch in response. Hotaru, she could understand but Minako as well? "What did I just tell you about behaving in the city?"

"Umm… Gosh Rei, I can't remember. Haha. What do you know?"

"Are. You. SeRiOuS?"

"No being bad." Hotaru chirped.

"SEE? At least SOMEONE was listening!"

Minako averted her gaze and puckered her lips. _Hmph, okay. So maybe I should've been listening a little more carefully._

"The point is that you have to use common sense," Rei lectured on. "Like try not to piss other people off. They don't like to be criticized, even if you are disguised as a soldier."

"Okay, okay. I'll behave myself. Scouts honour."

"That's what you said last time!"

"But I mean it THIS time. Right Hotaru?"

Hotaru peered up at the blonde and then back at her irritated guardian. She thought about it for a moment and then quickly shook her head.

"HEY!" Minako protested.

But Minako's shouts weren't the only ones that filled the air just then.

"Hey! There she is! Catch her!"

"Don't let her get away!"

Ahead of the trio, a crowd of men jumped to their feet and swarmed the pathway. Their clumsy bodies moved awkwardly around in circles trying to nab something in the middle.

"I wonder what's going on?" Minako tightened her hold on Hotaru, hoping this wouldn't scare the girl. But Hotaru appeared more calm and collected than her current guardian.

"A girl?" She pointed.

Rei glanced down at Hotaru before shooting her gaze back to the crowd. Concentrating ahead between the waists of the men her amethyst eyes caught a quick movement. Focusing in on the blur she made out a long dark-brown ponytail, dark clothes and then finally the face of a child.

The image was so startling that Rei instinctively took a step back. She could feel her headache growing. _Geh…_ Rei winced. _Damn it!_

"Rei, we've got to help her!" Minako also spotted the girl. "Can't you do something? Call them off or do whatever you do."

"Don't give me orders!" Rei growled.

"AH!"

The girl had bumped into one of her pursuers and bounced backwards off-balance into the swarm.

_Oh no!_ Panic shot through her. Her dark eyes were squeezed shut as she felt her fall slow down in mid-air. Fear ravaged her small body with an animal-like frenzy. _I-I'm done for? No!! I can't die now! I don't want to die!_

She hit the ground and instinctively recoiled as the hands shot forward.

_Nng!_

"Enough!"

The girl, trembling slightly, forced her gaze up to see the large men parting for a woman?

"It's the Commander!" One of the men shouted.

"Sir, this child here-"

"Stand down." Rei strode forward with power radiating all around her. Although she was missing her arm guards and was still covered with blood from her wound, the men were all very intimidated by her presence. They could not sense weakness, only massive power.

"You're asking us to stop? If I may be so humble, may we ask why? We were only doing our job. By Martian law, all orphans must be drafted into the army, isn't that correct?"

Rei analyzed the girl on the ground with cold eyes. She was met with an intense, defiant gaze of dark amethyst like her own, only Rei's were darker.

"I will deal with this." Rei commanded.

"B-But-"

"Do you have a problem with obeying orders?" She snapped.

"No! Of course not! P-Please forgive me Sir."

"Then you're all dismissed."

"Yes Sir." They all saluted and then ran off.

**Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!**

Once the men had vanished, Minako breathed a sigh of relief. "Whew, I'm glad that's over with. They sure looked scary…"

Hotaru nodded in agreement, but Rei hadn't said anything at all; the Martian had yet to shift her gaze away from the child before her.

"Do you know why they were chasing her? Poor thing…" Minako bent down and extended her hand. "Are you okay?"

The girl stubbornly turned her head away and tried to ignore the Goddess.

"Hey, that's not very nice." She said in hurt voice. "What do you think Hotaru? She sure looks older than you, but it can't be by very much. Maybe you can be friends?"

"Girl?" Hotaru blinked and pointed again. This apparently caught the other girl's attention.

"Of course I'm a girl! Are you blind?"

"So you can talk." Minako smirked in victory.

"O-Of course I can. What do you expect? Look, I don't know who you people are but you're wasting your time if you think I'm going to grovel on my knees and shower you with praise!"

Rei didn't bat an eye but continued to stare in deep thought.

"You didn't have to save me, you know. I could've taken care of myself!"

"I see." The Martian leader finally mumbled. However this calm response unnerved the girl even further.

**Tup!**

"Hey!" Minako cried when the girl dashed past her and disappeared into the crowd. "Jeez, that's some gratitude for ya isn't it? Are you all right Hotaru?" Hotaru nodded. "You know, that was a pretty disrespectful thing to do to her planet's leader. I wonder how Ares would have reacted to something like that. What do you think Rei? ...Rei?" Minako noticed that Rei had started to walk in the opposite direction the girl had just gone.

"Where are you going?"

_If she is an orphan… _"Follow me and stay close."

(Further into the city)

The girl that had fled from the trio panted for air as she sprinted through the dry, dusty streets. Small clouds of dust shot up with each and every step she took towards her sanctuary, to the only home that she had now.

The crowd soon thinned and became nearly non-existent when she finally reached it, a small corner alleyway that led into an even smaller hide-a-way just barely above the alley wall. Using the convenient passage entrance, the child infiltrated deep into the inside of a deserted building. Her heart pounded in her chest the entire way, even as she squeezed through the narrow passageway and dropped down into her shelter. She coughed as she hit the ground, the drop always, inevitably, brought some pain to her ankles.

For reassurance she scanned the room. What little scant belongings left behind from the only family she had lay strewn across the dusty, wooden table before her. To the near-side wall, there was a pathetic looking, sickly green cabinet and to the far side corner of the room was a broken chair. She never knew how it became like that. It was simply just there like herself.

_That was close…_ She wheezed, feeling the burn of the chase lingering in her lungs. Unconsciously she attempted to wipe the forming beads of sweat on her brow. _They almost had me. Again…_

"So you've finally made it."

The girl's heart skipped a beat. She whirled on the spot towards the voice to see the raven-haired woman and her blonde companion eyeing her with a watchful gaze.

"W-What are you doing here?!" She demanded. She was too frightened to move.

The girl nervously watched the Martian woman cross across the room into the corner where the broken chair sat. She touched one of the jagged pieces.

"What do you want? How did you find me?"

"How did I find you?" Rei repeated slowly. Her eyes narrowed slightly.

_(Flashback)_

"_I don't believe it! How did you find me?" A young girl with messed, long raven hair and battered, dark garments demanded._

_She glared up into her opponent's face with defiant amethyst eyes. He was a full-grown man, a God in fact, the very leader of Mars. Ares. With a sword hanging from his hip and a shield attached to his back, he stared down at the child with an amused expression._

_Despite the power radiating from this stranger, the girl forced herself to still her trembling and gripped her only weapon, a broken table leg, tighter. Her mouth set itself into a thin line of determination._

"_Would you rather have been taken away like the others before you?" His coal black eyes wandered around the desolate atmosphere. "It appears you have been left behind."_

"_Shut up!"_

_Ares raised an eyebrow._

"_Who's fault do you think that is? Having soldiers drag orphans away to a war, where they'll either die or come back and start a family before being called off again to die for real! How do you think orphans come around in the first place?"_

"_Do you think Mar's leader is irresponsible?"_

_The girl looked square into the War God's eyes and growled, "Yes!"_

_An awkward silence ensued. The agonizing tension wasn't broken until Ares finally took the initiative with a step towards the child, and she attacked. Instead of turning her back and running as she'd done before she lashed out as a cornered animal would. Being consumed with fear, instinct kick in and she rebelled against the threat with such urgency that only came through believing her survival and life was on the line._

_The piece of wood came up and she struck Ares in the leg. The God barely flinched. He darted down to grab her, throwing his hand out, only to have it withdraw empty aside from the newly gained scratch._

"_HaaaAH!"_

**WHAP!**

_The War God gazed at the reddening mark developing atop of his palm. "A fast child indeed…" He muttered. "What's your name?"_

"_None of your business!" She whirled around for a second round._

_But the girl's remark was cut short when a strong aura gripped and paralyzed her. She blinked to see the stranger in front of her glowing red._

"_W-What…t-the…" She stammered._

"_I asked you what your name was. You do have one, don't you?"_

_The girl struggled some more but discovered it was useless against the invisible pressure._

"_Grr… Rei." The girl reluctantly answered. The spell around her immediately broke and she fell to the floor onto her knees, feeling suddenly weak and tired. After going three days without food, her energy was depleted. She had already been pushed to her limits at the start of the chase and then past them at the start of the fight. It was a miracle that she was still able to hold herself up on her knees and Ares knew it._

_There was little movement from the child as the man walked to up where she sat._

"_Rei is it? Well then, Rei… Why don't you come with me?" He outstretched his injured hand._

_(End of Flashback)_

Uneasily, the girl then watched as the Martian woman crossed the room to the cabinet and opened one of its drawers. It was bare inside, except for a stale loaf of bread. It was likely something the girl had shop-lifted. Rei had to inwardly grin at that.

"Hey, don't touch that!"

Rei slowly turned to face her. She held the loaf up for everyone to see. "Where did you get this?"

"I..."

"Did you steal it?"

"Grr... Like I had much choice..." The girl mumbled through gritted teeth.

"What was that?"

"You already know the answer to that, so why even bother asking? What the hell do you want anyway? If you want the bread, you can just take it. Just leave me alone."

"This? You really think I'd come all this way for this?" Rei half-tossed it back into the bin, never giving it a second look.

"Then why _are_ you here?"

The woman took a few steps forward, forcing the girl to unconsciously back away into a nearby wall.

"I was curious. What do you have against joining the Martian army? Don't you know at least in the army you'll be fed, clothed, taken care of... and be honoured as one of the planet's protectors?"

"Big deal! What's the point if people are just going to die?"

"Why indeed."

"Rei, you don't mean to tell me you came all this way to force her into the army," Minako said worriedly. "If she doesn't want to go, then why make her? She's only a child."

"But that's when training is the best," Rei remarked with a piercing look. "The earlier you start training, the more time a soldier will have to hone their skills. People who begin when they're children will master their art at a younger age- they'll be superior in strength to ordinary children who've unnecessarily delayed. If she stays here, she will be forced to survive against starvation and loneliness."

"I won't get lonely!"

Rei ignored the angry outburst. "There is nothing for you here. It's as simple as that."

"Stop talking like you know what it's like! That armor you're wearing, that means you're one of them! Have you ever been an orphan? Have you ever lost your entire family and had to watch your friends being dragged off before your eyes? Well, have you?!"

"..."

"Yeah... that's what I thought. For all I know, my friends could be dead."

Minako felt herself inwardly cringe at the statement. What was the casualty count from the last battle again? One hundred? Two hundred?

"What's your name?" Rei inquired.

The girl mumbled.

"Speak up!"

There was an unsettling silence as the two stared at each other until the younger girl relented against Rei's will.

"M-My name is Nozomi...no last name. I'm ten years old." She added.

"What is it that you want? Do you want friends? Power...? Shelter...?"

Nozomi looked away. Who wouldn't want all of that?

"Then why don't you come with me?"

"Rei?" Minako asked quizzically. She was almost as surprised as Nozomi was at this offer.

"Are you deaf? I told you that not going to join the army!"

"My name is Rei, but many simply refer to me as Commander or Sir. I am the current leader of Mars." Rei watched the girl's eyes widen at this. The statement had shut her up completely. "This is my proposition. Come with me and live in the palace. I won't ask you to join the army, BUT there is one condition. During your stay, I'll require you to take up training lessons like others who are in the military. After five years, if you can prove yourself stronger than your soldier counterparts, then you won't have to join indefinitely. You're free to do whatever you like. However... the same applies if you fail. If you find yourself weaker than the others, then you will be drafted. Does that sound fair to you?"

Rei could still remember her own childish voice in her memory asking, _'Five years?'_

"Five years?"

"That's right, five years. What is your answer?"

Nozomi glanced around the dingy, damp room. Honestly, she really didn't want to stay here. She was tired. She was tired of stealing, tired of being chased and beaten. After watching her life disappear before her very eyes, she thought it would be kind of nice not to have to confront that sort of helplessness again.

The girl turned her head and saw Hotaru still cuddled up in Minako's arms. It was the same woman who had accompanied the Martian leader before. Maybe this couldn't be so bad?

She met Rei's confident eyes with her own dark ones.

_I've got nothing else to lose..._

"Okay, you've got a deal. I'll come with you for now… Sir."

(Ram Palace, Early evening, Minako's Room)

"YES! We're finally back!" Minako fell onto her bed and cuddled into the soft sheets, sighing with content. "I missed this place."

"Mm."

"Oh come on, you can't say you didn't miss this place Rei-bear. I mean, we got your wound looked at, Hotaru and Nozomi are being taken care of by some of the maids and now we've got some alone time." She winked.

But Rei missed the hidden meaning in the last sentence. "Uh-huh." She muttered.

"I think I'll take a bath."

"Uh-huh."

"Or actually, a swim in the hot tub might really hit the spot instead. What do you think?"

"Sure."

"…The sky is falling."

"Mm."

Minako frowned. _Is that all she's going to say? _"I'm going to strip in front of you and you will like it."

"Uh-hu—WHAT?" Rei snapped her head in Minako's direction with wide eyes.

"Ah-ha! I thought that'd get your attention space cadet! I was wondering, just how _did_ you know where Nozomi would go? That place was pretty secluded."

Rei shrugged.

"Is it one of those Martian abilities? It's okay if it is, that's really cool you know."

"..."

"Rei?"

"Let me tell you something about Mars, Minako. There's only one thing that matters here and that's strength. Unlike on your home planet, family and blood ties are very disposable. Here, if you're strong, then that's all that matters."

"And since you're strong, that's good right?"

Rei gave a tired yawn. "I guess... Now if you will excuse me, I will leave you to your business."

_Hmm…_ "Yeah, you really do need a rest. I bet you're dying for some sleep huh? Just imagine! If poor Rei-bear doesn't get enough sleep then she'll get gray hairs." (Heart)

_Staying around you will give me gray hairs. _Rei mentally retorted. "And stop calling me that!"

"Calling you what?" Minako blinked innocently.

"Rei-- You know what I mean!" The Martian sighed. "Anyway, I need to be going. There's something important I need to deal with."

"Oh."

"So if you need anything call a maid." She opened the door on her way out.

"You mean you're going to leave me all alone?" Minako followed after her. "But what if I get lonely? What if I miss Rei-- I mean, you. Just Rei."

"Excuse me?" Rei raised an eyebrow. "This is going to be your first night here and you're already saying you can't sleep in a room by yourself? What did you do back at home?"

"I--Well, don't tell anyone but... I had a teddy bear okay?" She blushed.

Rei stared. _A Goddess needs a teddy bear to get to sleep at night?_

"But I left him back at home." _I didn't expect on staying around for so long. _Minako silently scolded her own assumptions. "And I get horrible, dreadful nightmares when I sleep alone."

"So what? What do you want me to do about it? Fly a personal shuttle to Venus and pick it up for you?"

Minako pouted. "No."

"Theeeeen...you want me to stay with you?" She just had this funny feeling.

_More like sleep with me but close enough. _"Oh, however did you guess?" Minako dramatically exclaimed, feigning shock. This made Rei go red in the face; the Martian always seemed to know when she was being made fun of, Minako had to give her credit for that.

"Would you? Pleeeeeeease?" Minako gave a pleading look.

"Fine, whatever." There couldn't be any possible harm to sleeping in the same room. "But I've got to get going now. You better not be fooling around or do anything really stupid by the time I get back. Got it?"

"Yes Sir." The blonde saluted.

"Cut that out."

"Bleh." Minako stuck out her tongue.

Once Rei had left Minako waltzed back over to her bedroom and flopped atop of the sheets to ponder Rei's earlier words.

"Hmm...So the people here only worry about strength huh? What a strange concept. Back at home it's love that matters the most. Friends and family is the most important thing there… Now that I think about it, I kinda miss home." Minako rolled over onto her side. _But then again… I don't at the same time. The more time I spend here with Rei, the more I'm starting to like this place. Even if it's only for a day, it feels like it's been forever for me, but in a good way. _

"I wonder what important thing Rei had to do anyway?"

**CLANG! CLASH!**

A sudden series of noises caught Minako's attention. Out of curiosity she leapt off the bed and ran over to the nearest window. Outside the sun was only setting but the fighters below had only begun their exercises.

_Rei...?_

Rei held a practice sword firmly in her right hand. Minako immediately assumed the woman was briefing about the weapon because Rei continually pointed to different sections of the sword, working her way from top to bottom. Her two 'students' to Minako's surprise were Hotaru and Nozomi. Both girls were watching with rapt attention as Rei began to show off a few of the moves she would teach them soon and those that they would learn later when they mastered the arts.

"So that's what was so important?" Minako leaned into the side of the window. She quickly found herself caught up in the demonstration as well, unaware of the smile tugging at her face. "Well what do you know? O'l Rei really does have a soft spot after all, that stubborn girl…"

_Strength is the only thing that matters? Pfft. _Minako let out a giggle.

"Silly Rei-bear..."

**

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**Next up in HFD, Ch 5: Closing of a Distant Choice**

**Tired and worn out, Rei dutifully goes to stay the night with Minako. But what does the blonde Venusian have in store for her host?**

"_**I have you right where I want you. You're here, beneath me and helpless."**_


	5. Closing of a Distant Choice

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sailor Moon

**A/N:** Midterms are coming up, but I wanted to get this chapter up as soon as possible. I've also decided to make this scene as a separate chapter, so I can concentrate more time in developing the next chapter.

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It wasn't until early morning that Rei dragged herself back to Minako's room. Weary and tired, the Martian leader hesitated just outside the entrance in a set of casual wear. She secretly hoped that Minako had already fallen asleep; then the whole silliness could be avoided altogether. Yes, instead of marching into mysterious, unknown territory during the middle of the night she could go to her own bed chamber and have a long peaceful sleep.

_But nooooo… I gave her my word. _Rei inwardly groaned. She resisted the urge to lay her head against the door frame and sob. After fighting in a war, wandering through a blazing desert, and running through the capital's crowded streets, she just had to go and start the training sessions for the new recruits. And where did it lead her? What was the reward? Here, in front of a diplomat's door late at night to play babysitter/teddy bear(?). And from what little she knew about the person's personality, she doubted that she was guaranteed much sleep.

_Minako's so childish! I bet as soon as I walk in she would want to have a pillow fight or something else stupid like that. _Rei cringed against the imaginary blow of the soft pillow to her head. _Or perhaps she'll want to play a game of hide and go seek. Heaven forbid it. I don't think I have the patience or the energy to put up with that kind of game. Maybe I should just tie her to the bed and command her to go to sleep? Yeah, like that would work well. _

Gathering what little energy she had left, Rei brought up a hesitant hand and rapped the door lightly. The knuckles of her hand had barely brushed the barrier, making only the lightest of noise.

No response.

"Oh well, I guess she's already asleep. That's too bad," Rei shrugged and backed away from the door. She was about to turn around and leave when a very cold shiver ran down her spine. It was called a "conscience". It's that little annoying voice in your head that always has a bone to pick with you when you're about to do something 'wrong'. And Rei's wasn't about to let the grown woman walk away in peace.

_You said you would stay with her…_ It poked and nagged. _Are you going to leave a defenceless, little girl without her teddy bear sleep alone?_

"…" _She's a Goddess, not some defenceless little girl. _Rei retorted._ Besides, who needs to sleep with a teddy bear at night at that age? She must be at least nearing twenty already!_

_But she has feelings too. Goddesses are also human, or have you already forgotten about the others so quickly?_

"…" The Martian shifted her feet on the spot uncomfortably at the mention.

_Well, no, but… hey, why am I arguing with myself anyway?! This is absolutely ridiculous! I'm just tired. So I'll just ignore you now and go back to bed and--_

_Don't tell me that you're a COWARD?_

_W-H-A-T?_

"Ok, I'll show you who's a coward!" Rei snarled at the imaginary opponent. Whirling on the spot she kicked open Minako's room door with such a force that the thing nearly fell off its hinges as it flew into a back wall.

_**SLAM! Tinkle, tinkle…**_

Rei stared into the room with her mouth slightly agape as the door slowly re-traced its path.

_Oops. Okay, so maybe I hit it a little tooooooo hard. _She shook her head and sighed. Perhaps Minako was starting to rub off on her. The woman was always pulling stupid stunts like this.

_Anyway, I guess I've really gone and done it. If Minako was asleep then she sure isn't going to be now… that infernal noise was loud enough to wake anyone within ten corridors of here! _

Feeling that her cover was already blown, Rei waltzed into the room a few steps and bellowed,

"Minako! Are you awake?"

Rei hushed her own breathing and listened for some verbal response. When none came she suddenly realized something about the environment that struck her odd. Perhaps the force of the slamming door threw her hearing off but she seriously doubted it. The chamber was quiet, too quiet. It felt unnatural but what was missing?

In front of her the pool water was swirling gently, reflecting the artificial starlight from the ceiling above. Only a slight watery noise was emitted from it. _Nothing wrong there. _Rei affirmed. Her eyes swooped over the potted plants around the perimeter of the body of water. Still leaves. It meant that there was no wind; the windows must be closed. And the lighting of the room, why was it so dark? Rei had to squint to see to the far left of the pool in the bedroom's general direction to even make out the smaller doorway.

"Minako?" She called out again. Rei's drowsiness had slipped away long ago and her soldier's instincts were on the alert. However she could feel herself pushing past her physical limit again.

_Something's wrong here… Why isn't Minako responding?_

Allowing herself to venture further into the room, Rei slowly made her way towards the bedchamber. One-step, two steps, she paused when she thought she had heard something shuffle in the shadows. When there was silence again she crept forward a little more. Every movement that her stiff muscles made was acutely detected by her senses. The small reflexive twitches of overworked limbs, how heavy and numb they felt; it was difficult to hear any sounds above the thumping of her racing heart. She forced her breathing to slow to a still. Was she afraid? Like any other person, Rei was vulnerable without her armor (perhaps not completely helpless, but there was a considerable difference).

_**Tup…tup…tup…**_

_**Shuffle.**_

Rei froze. _There it is again! _The raven-haired woman waited for the noise to reoccur. Rei's eyes darted to either side of the room before she tip-toed at an angle to her left, bringing her closer, yet keeping her a good distance from the doorway. Not knowing her opponent's range she was determined on keep at a reasonable distance.

_**Shuffle.**_

With one arm up for defence and the other drawn back in a strike position Rei cried out, "Who's there? For the last time, Minako is that you? Grr…Whoever you are, you better show yourself now! If you've done anything to the girl--!!"

"You'll do what?" Rei heard a voice and felt a warm breath tickle her ear. "I'm right here... Rei, bear." Before she could react, Rei felt a pair of arms clamp around her and drew her into a tight embrace.

"Minako!" Rei instantly protested, but Minako merely giggled and tightened her hold around her prisoner. She could feel Rei's weak attempts to struggle and it brought another happy smile to her face.

"Aww, you're really soft without all that armor," Minako giggled as she nuzzled against Rei's neck.

One of her hands came to rest beneath the thin shirt the other woman wore and gently tickled the smooth skin that she found at Rei's waist. The other continued to hold the raven-haired warrior in her grasp. Rei squirmed at the unaccustomed sensation, trying to break free only to find that she couldn't. Not having to push herself so hard since her younger days, she knew that her body was shutting down in preparation for the deep sleep that would be sure to follow. Soon she would have to rely on the blonde entirely for balance and support, and it disturbed her. Especially with the way Minako was behaving now!

"Minako, let me go right now!"

But Minako's ignored Rei's awkward movements and curiously continued her exploration. She could hardly believe how soft Rei's skin was. _For a soldier, I thought it would be… really rough?_ She guessed. Her fingers lightly trailed over the hard stomach and Rei sucked in breath. _Oh, I found some more strong muscles. _

In the dark Rei's face burned bright crimson. Being caught was the last thing she would've expected and the physical contact was making her skin crawl. All she knew was that she wanted out and NOW.

"Let go!" She was becoming frantic. She had to get out of here. _Any enemy battle is better than this!_

"Mm… no." Minako drawled as she allowed her chin to rest on Rei's shoulder. Rei flinched. Why did Minako have to breathe on her neck? Why did it have to feel so warm?

"Why would I want to? You're so warm and comfy… better than any teddy bear."

"That's nice. Now let go." Rei's legs trembled. _Oh damn it…_

"… !" _Wha--?_

Finally after all the abuse they had taken, Rei's legs buckled from underneath her…

"AH!"

**THUD!**

Leaving her in a very uncompromising situation…

However, Minako wasn't about to complain. When the blonde woman glanced down, she saw herself straddling Rei, pinning her to the floor as a result of their fall. The sight of the proud woman, with her gorgeous dark hair spraying out beneath them, the defiant look in her eyes, and especially how Rei wasn't lifting a finger to change their position-- it all added up.

"You can't move can you?" Minako grinned. "I warned you that you were overdoing it, but did you listen?" Her cerulean eyes twinkled at the possibilities. Oh, there were so many.

_I could have my way with her, have my way with her or have my way with her. Decisions, decisions, decisions… but… this isn't the way it's supposed to go right? Isn't she supposed to be the one coming onto me? Hmm… I must have miscalculated. Oh well! Beggars can't be choosers! For the sake of the mission! _

But although Minako rallied her courage in the name of the mission, she couldn't repress the happiness she got from the thought of being with Rei. She felt a personal joy that felt detached from the sense of duty.

_She's so pretty, and strong and INCREDIBLY stubborn! But I don't think she's cruel… even though she hit me back on the battlefield, it was like she was someone entirely different once the battle ended. She protected Hotaru, and she gave Nozomi a home. On top of that, even though she doesn't like me...she offered to stay here with me tonight. I don't quite understand her._

Unconsciously Minako's hands were about to reach down and unbutton Rei's shirt when the fiery woman snapped,

"So what? I might have overdone things a bit but I'm perfectly fine."

Minako stopped. _Oh, here we go again. She always has to argue with me doesn't she? _But the Venusian couldn't resist letting this stretch out a little longer; as they say, longing makes the heart grow fonder, or something cheesy that like.

"So what?" The blonde repeated with an amused look. "Say what you want Rei-bear, but it means that you're helpless. Helpless like a newborn babe," She tapped her noise and elicited a growl from her hostage.

"DON'T SAY THAT!"

"What? Helpless?" After being ignored all day, this was a pleasant change. "Helpless! Helpless! Heeeeelpless."

"CuT…tHaT…oUt. Just what are you planning anyway?"

"...Are you really that dense Rei?" Rei threw another glare. The unexpected reaction sent Minako spiralling deep into thought. She didn't know whether Rei was really ignorant or if she was just playing around. Okay, she'd bite.

"Seriously, Rei...?" Minako repeated in a light hearted voice.

"Minako, what in the name of Mars are you going on about? You're heavy, get off." Rei's voice trailed off. The drowsiness she felt was beginning to build.

Minako leaned forward and propped herself up on her elbows to either side of Rei's face and looked her companion in the eye. However Rei was momentarily distracted by the hand that cupped her cheek; the action felt foreign to her. Thus she wasn't prepared when the blonde suddenly asked in a very serious voice, "I'm asking you... have you ever been in a relationship? I want you to look at me straight in the eye and give me an honest answer."

Partially shocked, Rei opened her mouth and then closed it, ending the action with a frown.

_Should I say something or not? Yes, no, yes, no, oh hell, I'm just tired! _She was also quite sure that Minako would do something evil if she didn't give her an answer. And never being one to lie, Rei truthfully said,

"No."

"Never held hands, went on romantic walks or even a date?"

"No."

Minako did a double take on the seriousness that she saw in those amethyst eyes. She just stared, and stared, but the truth that they held wouldn't change.

"And you're how old?"

"Minako!"

"Okay, okay…" Minako relented and leaned back to give Rei some space. She could see that she was embarrassing the other woman enough.

_But if she's never been in a relationship before or has done anything of the sort then there's no point in asking if she's ever made love to a person. It's strange. I didn't expect this… _

Minako's resolve began to wane. "Just one more question. It's the last one like this, I promise. I'm wondering, have you… ever loved anyone before Rei? Like, more than a family member or a friend?"

"I told you, no." Rei said stiffly. Her eyes were half lidded now and her gaze was becoming increasingly unfocused.

The answer puzzled the Venusian.

_I have you right where I want you. You're here, beneath me and helpless. _Minako trailed her fingers over Rei's delicate cheek again, but this time Rei didn't flinch away. _How can you go through life and never have loved? What have you been doing this entire time? Were you lonely...? Doesn't it hurt?  
_  
With closed eyes Rei could sense Minako's discomfort and, inwardly, she sighed. She never thought she would tell this woman anything about herself, or particularly, this sort of information. It wasn't something she normally wanted to chat about, even to Ares. Perhaps it was a strange act of fate? Fate, personal choice, drowsiness, anyhow, she relented to a certain degree.

"I doubt you can understand this Minako, but this isn't Venus. I told you once before. The only thing that matters on Mars is strength. Since childhood I've been training to take over as this planet's leader. That's all I needed to do, so I did it."

_I knew since the day that Ares took me in...If I wanted to outdo him, I would have to devote my entire life to getting stronger. For that reason, I was confined for five years in the training center. All I did was train. Only after that did Ares allow me to walk about the palace freely, but even then, that was restricted._

_My responsibilities...? My future...?_

"I simply don't have time for silly things such as love. That should answer all of your questions about my love life, shouldn't it? It's stupid anyway, people toying with another person's feelings unnecessarily..."

Minako felt a stab of pain and guilt. But she also felt something else tug at her heart …

_I do understand. More than you think… _

"So, are you going to tell me what you're doing now?" Rei asked in an exasperated voice.

"It's nothing Rei." With that, Minako stood up. Rei could feel the heavy weight lift from her body. "I was only doing an examination; it's a tradition that a diplomat of Venus conducts a physical examination of the hosting planet's leader. You know, since a leader reflects their planet and all that jazz. And guess what? You passed! Aren't you happy?" Minako gave a wide grin even though Rei couldn't see it.

"Oh, yay…" Rei's words trailed off.

Minako cocked her head to the side in a curious manner. She had expected Rei to explode with rage after being treated like a test subject without permission.

"Rei?" Minako bent down and poked the woman only to get no response. She continued to jab her a few more times in the ribs while thinking,

_What does she have to worry about anyway? I mean, I was going to seduce her for Goddess sake! I say she got off easy._

_**Poke, poke, poke…**_

"...Rei?"

"…ZzZzZz…"

"She's asleep! How 'bout that?" Minako looked right and then left to make sure they were really alone. When she was satisfied she giggled at the sleeping figure. "Yeah… you got real lucky Rei-bear, but you'll never know it."

Warmly, Minako continued to gaze at her new friend.

_I really shouldn't be doing this, but... for now I think the mission can be put on hold. Don't get me wrong, I'm just feeling merciful, that's all. I can seduce her whenever I want! It's just...I'm curious. I have a feeling that there's a lot I could learn about her yet, and that's my job isn't it? I mean, being a 'diplomat' and all..._

Noticing that something was amiss, Minako momentarily disappeared into the bedchamber and returned to where Rei slept with pillows and a blanket in hand. Carefully she draped the large quilt over Rei. Her teddy-bear flinched at the contact at first but she quickly relaxed and unconsciously snuggled up into the soft material. She accepted the pillow without any protest.

"Mm… ZzZzZz…"

_Secretly, I wish I could be a little more like her... And maybe, just maybe…_

Minako laid down beside Rei and her finger's soon found their way to the Martian's soft lips. For a moment they danced around the scarlet red while the blonde watched with a thoughtful gaze. She then bent down, blushing…

"Real lucky. Night Rei..." And kissed Rei's cheek.

"…ZzZz…"

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****Next up in HFD Ch 6: Half Truths**

**Having reached the palace again, Rei must formulate her next plan of action. The girl Hotaru, not knowing how or why Haruka insisted on leaving the child in her care has left the Martian with only one decision left. To find out as much as she can… with perhaps a little help from their Alliance partner, Mercury.**

**However, when morning comes, things don't go according to plan as Rei had expected. One, Minako 'invites' herself to tag along for the ride. Two, they get lost somewhere on the way there and Minako then decides that she wants to play cards. Three… someone is stalking them.**

"**Minako, this no time to be playing cards!" Rei scolded the other woman. Her eyes were quickly drawn back to her opponent; their aura had leapt up another notch, creating a strong electric effect in the air.**

"**Actually, that's where you're wrong! This is the perfect time to 'play' cards!" ****Minako threw the deck into the air and the cards scattered in the wind. "Call it!"**


	6. Half Truths

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Sailor Moon.**

**A/N:** Just a note, I did not make the wrong reference accidentally in this chapter (you'll see as you read further). There are likely to be some spelling and grammatical errors as well. Just a heads up in advance.

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"_Real lucky. Night Rei..."_

_**Tick… tock… tick… tock… tick… tock…**_

In the desert the night began to retreat against the light of the rising sun; its warm rays painted its high canvas above while they devoured the shadows along the barren ground below. It was the daily purge of darkness and Mar's planet breathed in a deep breath of life; small gusts of wind swept up across the sand dunes and brandished sheer power against the tiny pebbles. It threw contrasting red colors up into the sky, and, though the wind proved to be harsh, under the influence of a compassionate hand it softened and it was tamed- the flowers were spared and were treated with gentle, whispery caresses instead. Other signs of life soon made themselves known as the sleeping inhabitants stirred from their slumber, particular those of Mar's military forces. By the time the sun arrived at the palace's gates, both men and women soldiers were already outside and waiting for their training to start. A few of them spent their time with pre-warm up stretching, while others watched those who had already begun their daily sparring.

_**Clang! Clash!**_

Within the palace walls, Rei stirred. Her hand flew to her face when a ray of light smacked her awake.

"Erg! Stupid…sun…" She growled in annoyance. Reflexively her body muscles tensed and relaxed cyclically till she calmed down. Although she was tired, the Martian doubted she would be able to fall back asleep now that she was awake; there were other thoughts that weighed heavily on her mind.

_Last night, I had the strangest dream… _Rei quietly contemplated. _Our planet was preparing to go into battle with Uranus when this ditzy blonde dropped in from out of nowhere for a visit. She claimed to be the daughter of Aphrodite, and that she was here to improve our planet relations. Ha, now that really was awkward. Can there really be a person who talks that much, that loud? I shouldn't forget to mention that she was a total klutz! She was also following me everywhere I went like a helpless, lost pup._

The Martian Commander shifted uncomfortably as she tried to get up. For some reason, there was a heavy weight on her chest.

"Real lucky, Rei…"

She froze.

_Huh? _The raven-haired woman felt chills run down her back when the very heavy weight resting _atop_ of her chest shifted. She then cautiously opened one eye, just a crack, and then the other. At first her vision was blurry and unfocused, but the condition quickly subsided to reveal familiar figure in her face. Blonde hair and a red bow, Rei snapped back to reality.

_IT WASN'T A DREAM! _Rei mentally screeched. All the awkwardness of last night's events came rushing back to her and burnt her face with a rosy hue.

Minako was snuggled up against the woman's side. Her head lay atop of Rei's chest although the rest of her body wasn't quite there. One of the blonde's hands lightly gripped Rei's nightshirt, while the other was possessively draped over Rei's stomach (Minako did mention something about always sleeping with a teddy bear earlier- could this be an instinctive reflex?). Rei held her breath when the woman twitched; was she waking up? At first the possibility drew her curiosity… until the Venusian Princess muttered something in a gushy, incoherent tone and snuggled closer!

_Oh shiiiit…! _Too much blood was rushing to her head. It was making her head spin. Rei squirmed uncomfortably. _No, no, no! It can't be!_

If there was such a thing as 'fate' she prayed that they weren't this cruel.

With one free hand she nervously peered under the blanket to confirm whether she was seeing what she thought she was feeling. She gulped. Yes, one of Minako's legs had indeed wrapped around one of her own. Rei seriously doubted that this was any way to treat a 'teddy bear'.

_Okay, stay calm. All I have to do is wake her up. _Rei assured herself. The woman was about to lift her arm to nudge the blonde awake when she heard Minako sigh happily,

"So warm…"

_**HUG! Squeeze.**_

_Ooooookay… that is, if I can free my arms. _Followed the sarcastic thought. As "fate" would have it, similarly to the night before, the woman once again found herself to be at the mercy of her companion. Except it was now a matter of squirming away without seriously hurting Minako.

Rei racked her brains; with her arms and leg effectively bound to her sides, what could she possibility do?

_What can I do? What can I do? What can I do? Oh, I can't believe this! I knew she was a pain when she was awake but this really takes the cake!_

There was a short pause as Rei urgently glanced around the room's surroundings to distract herself from her awkward situation. Yet as hard as she tried to resist it, her eyes finally fell back upon the sleeping figure in peeved wonder. It wasn't fair. How could Minako look so innocent? Her long blonde hair and her beautiful blue eyes that were closed in a peaceful slumber… Minako really was a beautiful woman. Rei had rarely met anyone with such physical caliber.

_Hmm... Speaking of which, the only other person that I've met with blonde hair was Haruka.  
_  
At the mention of the name Rei felt her concentration violently ripped away from thoughts of Minako. Her amethyst eyes narrowed in an emotionally rare expression of worry.

_That woman… How can she be so-so stupid? She's could lose it all at this rate! _Rei's lips curled into downward frown. Her eyes were beginning to blur from the reminiscent memories. _Since that time… everyone's changed! But me, I'm..._

Rei suddenly gasped. _Wait a minute. Back then, with all of us… _The woman stared down at Minako with surprised eyes.

"COMMANDEEEEER!" The moment was shattered with a piercing cry. Rei whipped her head around when the sound of hurried footsteps racing down from the hallway outside. "SIR REEEEEEEI!"

She instantly recognized that voice.

"Zen?" She silently mouthed. But what could he be so worked up about, and so early in the morning? Her alarm hadn't gone off yet so-- Rei bolted upright. "OH NO! That's right! I'm not in my bedroom!"

Minako squeaked when Rei abruptly jumped up and sent her sprawling onto the floor.

"Eep!"

_**WhOmP!**_

Minako slowly flipped herself onto her back and pulled herself up to a seated position. Her nightshirt had fallen slightly to one side, revealing the white, silky skin of a bare shoulder.

"Ouchy… Reeeeei, what wrong?" Minako yawned and rubbed her eyes sleepily. _And I was having such a nice dream too! _She gestured as she stretched her arms. _Rei was there and I remember feeling warm all over…and then suddenly things went spinning and I hit something hard! Hmm…which appears to be the floor. _Minako casually observed.

She then turned her attention to the frantic Martian dashing about the room at an insane speed. She was grumbling something about having to find armor and starting lessons?

"Rei, would you just take a chill pill and relax?" Minako's eyes twinkled with amusement. "I've never seen you so… Oh, what's the word? Disorganized? What's the hurry?"

"I am not disorganized!" Rei shouted in protest. "No thanks to you, I didn't get up by my usual time!"

"Your usual time...?"

"For the early morning training sessions! I always start them off! And because I happen to be late, no thanks to you, I've got some idiot running down the halls bellowing for me like a wounded animal!"

"SIR REEEEEEEEI!" Zen bellowed in a desperate voice again.

"Gosh, that sounds stressful..."

Rei skidded to a dead halt and shot Minako an angry glare. "Well aren't you looking relaxed?"

"You bet I am." Minako happily grinned. This irritated Rei even more.

"Grr, never mind! I've got to go, but I'll be back later! You better not get into--"

"Any trouble, yeah, yeah, I got it."

But Rei hadn't bothered to wait around for the answer; she had already rushed out the door, making sure to slam it behind her loudly.

_**SLAM!**_

Minako listened carefully as she heard the other woman's footsteps becoming fainter as she made distance. Although, the blonde couldn't say the same thing for Rei's voice; it was just plain loud.

"Zen, stop that shouting this instant!"

"R-Rei, Sir! Ah, there you are! We've been looking all over for you! When you didn't show up as usual… Where have you been?"

"Never mind that!" Minako heard Rei snap. "When did it become your business to know mine? And why in the name of Mars were you chasing after _me_ when you could have started the sessions _yourself_? You are the first officer! Only second in rank to the commander! So you better start acting like one! You can't rely on me all of the time!"

Minako was rolling on the floor laughing hysterically by the time that Zen began to stumble over himself to apologize. "Haha, oh wow! Rei really isn't a morning person is she? Hahahaha, poor Zen! I kinda feel bad for him…"

"I-I-I am very sorry, please, forgive-"

"Enough of that already," Rei ordered in an exasperated voice. "Are classes ten to five out already?"

"Huh? Oh! Yes!"

"Good, then assemble classes three and four outside for the desert trial run. I believe it was their turn today. Level four should be more than challenging for them. Give them a limit of twenty-five minutes to complete the test."

"Yes, that's-"

"After they've finished, have the medic class take over and start the area at level five. Do not give them the usual ten minutes. Cut it by half and aim for five!" Although Minako couldn't see it, Zen was nodding like a bobble-head figure behind his leader. "Once both tests have been evaluated, store the results onto a disc and deliver it to me."

"Eh? We aren't going to store the results away into the alliance's computer base?"

"No." Rei's voice suddenly trailed off.

Noticing this, Minako's curiosity had gotten the best of her; she crept up and pressed her ear against her room door. There had been no trailing footsteps so they still had to be there.

_Maybe this is the best part? I wonder what they're talking about._

"…Yes, you…correct…"

Minako held her breath. She hadn't noticed how hard she was breathing until now; it was so heavy that she could barely make out Rei's words.

"But this is so sudden!" Zen cried out. "Who will--"

"You will. While I'm gone, you'll have to watch over this place until I return. Though you may have thought that I was too strict with you in the past, it was to prepare you for this possibility. For years you have been the strongest of your class, yet you have this habit of giving up too easily. Consider this your final test. Do not waste this opportunity."

"But…"

_What? Rei's leaving? _Minako became alarmed. _But why? Where? And W-H-E-N? I want details! NOW!_

_**Creak! **_**Tup! Woosh!**

"Rei!"

Minako threw herself out into the hall. With a very serious pose she stared down at Rei, ignoring the questioning look sweeping over Zen's face.

"Where do you think you're running off to?" The blonde demanded. "There's no use in hiding it, I heard all of it!"

"What?"

Both Zen and Rei were strangely silent. The medic openly stared at Minako, his face quickly becoming flush from embarrassment. Rei on the other hand, rolled her eyes at the same sight until she realized her first officer's reaction. The poor man had developed a nosebleed in shock! Quickly Rei kicked Zen's legs out from beneath him and sent him crashing to the floor.

"Wha-" Minako started before Rei was suddenly in her face.

"I don't know about you, but walking out in public halls with only your nightwear on might… cause problems."

"Problems?" The other woman blinked back. No sooner had those words left Minako's mouth the Commander noticed three young soldiers strutting down their way come to a dead stop and began to openly ogle at the Princess from Venus.

"Hey, look at that girl! I haven't ever seen her around before have you?"

"Blonde hair? Blue eyes? Get real! She must be a foreigner!"

"Yeah, but a real pretty one…"

"You three! Report to clean-up duty this instant!" Rei barked with such ferocity that one of the men looked like he was about to wet himself from fright.

"Y-Yes Sir!"

"Right away Sir!"

And they scampered away.

**Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!**

"Hmph, I meant, that kind of trouble," Rei pointed out with a frown. "...Zen, if you can't stop that nosebleed then go to the restroom and tend to it! You are dismissed."

"Yes Sir." The man groaned. "Thank you Sir."

**Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!**

After the man disappeared Rei shook her head. _How embarrassing!_ "Now do you see Minako?" Though she would never openly admit it, Rei was secretly impressed that Minako could disarm four of her men without lifting a finger. She made a note to work on that in the future.

"I think so… But, Rei, are you saying that _you_ aren't affected by my appearance?" Minako said very deliberately and slowly. She took a step towards Rei but the woman held her ground. The Martian was starting to get that bad feeling again as she noticed the odd swing in the blonde's steps.

"Affected? Excuse me, but what kind of question is that?"Rei attempted to stare Minako down, but she was finding it rather difficult. She just kept on getting closer, no matter what she did.

"Honestly Minako, just go get dressed already." Rei finally broke their gaze and turned her head. She was completely aware of their closeness, yet she refused to budge.

_I don't know what kind of game she's playing, but __she's definitely trying to intimidate me._

"You know… you're cute when you blush like that Rei bear--"

_**Shove! Whup!**_

Rei hit the closest wall in surprise. She barely had time to register what had just happened when she felt two arms pinning her to the wall by her shoulders.

"Hey! What are you doing?! I don't have time for this now!"

"You can spare some time…" The sad look Minako was giving Rei shut the Martian up instantly. "I asked you, where are you going? I overheard you and Zen talking, don't even think of denying it."

Rei gave the other woman a long, hard stare. She already could see where this was going. "No. You can't come."

"But why not?!"

"Because I don't want to be burdened with extra worries." The raven-haired soldier replied in a dead voice. Something inside tugged at her heart as soon as the words had left her mouth, but she couldn't say what.

Minako expressed shock when her mind registered the blunt response. _I'm a burden? _But in a blink of an eye it was gone and replaced with a look of determination.

"What do you think will happen if you leave me here alone? You said I was trouble didn't you? What if something happened to me while you are away?"

"There are nine classes of trained soldiers, including the replacement leader," Rei paused to cringe at the word 'leader'. "Anyone would be foolish if they tried to harm you with that kind of protection."

"But you saw their reactions!"

"Are you saying my men are scum?" Rei shot back. But she didn't pursue the accusation because she knew that she couldn't defend her soldiers' honour after the last four's actions. "Look, if you're that worried, you can stay in your room and lock the door until I get back. There are also other security systems other than our soldiers." Rei was almost tempted to also suggest that Minako could also go home. But for some reason, the words remained caught in her throat.

As for Minako, she couldn't understand why Rei was being so stubborn. The Martian had allowed her to tag along up until now, so what difference would another trip make?

"So basically… you're telling me to lock myself up?" There was a hint of fear in her quivering voice.

The emotion struck a familiar cord within Rei herself. Uncomfortably, Rei shifted her feet. She really wished Minako would drop the subject; there was nothing for the Venusian to gain in coming along.

_Who knows what will happen? But… then again, I was only going to ask Mercury to give Hotaru a bio-scan. That couldn't be too bad, could it? _Without realizing it, Rei was already reconsidering her earlier decision. _And after we get the bio-scan done, we just come back and that's it. Besides, Mercury is our official ally. The chances of being attacked are slim to none._

In the back of her mind, there was another, more compelling reason that refuted the fear of being attacked.

"Minako…" Hearing Rei's voice made the blonde looked up. "Umm, you know…" _Oh damn it, how am I going to say this? _"Maybe my decision earlier was a little too… no, that's not right! I mean… Umm, I just remembered that Hotaru will be coming along and…"

"You need a babysitter right?" Minako instantly jumped at the offer.

"Yeah, I guess that sounds right?" Rei whispered under her breath.

"Hm?"

"Nothing! I was just thinking how Hotaru might be intimidated by the soldiers."

"You're absolutely right! And we both already know how much Hotaru likes me. I'm much better suited for child care than they are."

"Mm..." _Actually, __I don't know about that…_

"Great, so let's go!" Minako turned to leave when a sudden force gripped her arm. She threw Rei a quizzical glance over her shoulder.

"Maybe, you should get changed first…" Rei commented. Her head was turned to the side as she said this.

"Hey, you know you like it."

"I-In your dreams!" She sputtered.

_Ugh. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. _Rei watched Minako disappear back into her room. However, she couldn't overlook this tiny warm glow she felt inside. It was distinctly pleasant compared to what she felt since Ares had taken her in. But even though it was small, the raven-haired woman took special note of it.

"No, I still have to be careful…" Rei whispered to herself.

_**Ping!**_

_Huh? _Rei whirled around towards the source of the sound, only to see an empty corridor. _Is it just me, or did I just sense someone there?_

"…"

As she strode away, a pair of Amethyst eyes blinked. Having gathered some interesting information, with a whip of dark brown hair, the figure was gone.

(Mar's Space Terminal, Afternoon)

The space terminal was crowded as ever. Most of the groups consisted mainly of diplomats and merchants scurrying about in a frantic rush to find their shuttles. Some travelers wore thick cloaks, while some others wore business suits. Some wore fancy clothing and some wore nothing but casual wear. However, it was only the guards who were staffed at the ports entrances that wore armor.

"People!" Hotaru muttered out of curiosity. She always liked seeing new things. _Huh? _The girl peered up at her guardian when she felt her hand being squeezed gently.

"Now you be good a girl, Hotaru," Minako smiled back through the hood of her cloak. "Rei said she'd come get us once the preparations are complete."

"Pre...parations?" She made a face at the complicated word.

"Mhm. That's right." Minako nodded and kneeled down in front of the child. "Do you see all of these people running around? Well, how to put it… they're either going to work or they're going home."

"We go home?"

"Umm, well, no, but that's beside the point!" Minako gave a nervous laugh. "I guess you can say that Auntie Rei is going to work and she's taking us with her."

Hotaru's eyes lit up at the mention of 'Auntie Rei'. "I like Auntie Rei…" She admitted shyly. "Papa said Auntie Rei is a little scary, but she not scary at all!"

Minako thought back to this morning's discussion between Rei and Zen.

_If only she knew... _

"Haha, actually… about that." Minako was so absorbed in her mental debate whether or not to expose her fiery tempered companion that she never noticed the shadow leering over her. "Rei is like…how to put it? Very stubborn. She won't listen to anyone once she's made up her mind! You know, I don't think I've met anyone who's as hard headed as her. Sure! She may have the looks and the strength, and be the leader of planet, and the leader of an army, and…Hmm…"

"Oh, please don't stop there."

_Eep!_ Minako cringed. _I know that voice!_

"R-Rei! What a surprise!" She was met with Rei's intense gaze; she found the usual signs of irritation, but for a moment Minako also thought she glimpsed amusement in those eyes as well.

"Auntie Rei!" Hotaru waved, asking to be picked up. Without any thought Rei swept up the little girl into her arms.

"Hey! I'm supposed to be the babysitter, remember!" Minako protested. Her confidence wavered in that instant. What if Rei decided to change her mind again?

"Oh, that's right." Rei shrugged and handed the child back over to Minako's care. "I'm sorry Hotaru, but please bear the torture for a little while longer."

"HEY! Was that supposed to be some kind of crack?" Minako's demanded. Her eyebrow twitched dangerously. _Eh? Hey, wait a minute. Did Rei just make a joke? Oh my Goddess! She actually has a sense of humour? _

Minako stared at Rei's quickly disappearing back in wonder. _It couldn't be, could it? Is she finally opening up to me...?_

"Don't just stand there! We have a shuttle to catch!" Rei shouted over her shoulder.

"You don't have to tell me that! I already know!"

As Minako ran off to catch up to her traveling companion, she was oblivious to the short stranger who stared at her from the crowd. Seeing where the two women were heading, the figure dashed off to the side towards that general direction.

(Within the Shuttle viewing area)

Rei stood behind the viewing glass that separated her and the people outside of the shuttle. Her eyes narrowed in concentration as she scanned the various faces. Something was bothering her; there was no mistake, she was certain of it. She had felt that same presence back within the palace walls within this area.

_**Wrrrrrrrrr…**_

Behind her, Rei could hear the shuttle door closing. _It's about time._ Rei inwardly grunted as she watched the action from the glass's reflection. _The longer we hang around here, the longer it will take us to get to Mercury._

_**Tup…tup…tup…**_

"I put Hotaru to bed and she's sleeping like a baby!" Minako reported. Rei glanced to the side of the glass to see that Minako had entered the room.

"Mm, that's good. These kinds of trips are always difficult for young children," Rei explained. "Things go by a lot faster if they sleep."

"Oh, I see!" Minako shouted enthusiastically. Rei turned around, startled by the unexpected response.

"What? Did I say something wrong?"

"No, it's just… I thought everyone knew about that, especially you. Haven't you ever ridden in a space shuttle as a kid?"

"..."

"Well, you must know that the ruling God and Goddess normally give birth to only one child, correct?"

"…?" Minako tilted her head to the side at this.

_Something's not right._ Rei analyzed. Minako's behaviour was anything but what she had expected it to be. She looks almost confused. This information couldn't possibly be anything new to her, right?

Rei decided to press on.

"Because the ruling God and Goddess only have one child, that child automatically becomes the planet's representative and heir to the throne. Therefore, it's customary for the heirs to attend gatherings with their parents to meet with others like themselves. But you knew all of that right?"

"Ahaha… r-right! I couldn't have said it better myself!"

Rei narrowed her eyes. Normally Minako was the pushy one. When their roles were suddenly reversed it made the Martian wonder what the blonde was trying to hide from her.

"I'm just a little tired I guess…" Minako finally broke the silence with an honest smile.

Rei took notice in the woman's sudden change of aura. Minako was definitely worn out from something, but the cause of the condition eluded her. Minako had gotten some sleep last night or did she?

_But I'd know the answer to that if I hadn't fallen asleep first! _Rei mentally kicked herself. _Who knows what she did while I was knocked out! Grr…_

"Rei?"

"If you're tired then go take a nap or something! We'll have a lot of walking to do once we arrive on Mercury."

"Eh? But why walking? I thought Mercury was the most technologically advanced planets in the solar system!"

"So you know about that," Rei crossed her arms and leaned onto the wall beside the window glass. Behind her was a dark sea, dotted by millions and billions of stars. _It's still something at least… _"Minako, it's not that they don't have the transportation technology or that their landscape makes it impossible to use mechanical travel…rather it's…No. Never mind. I wouldn't worry about it until we get there."

_Because anything can happen, _Rei reminded herself. It was one of the reasons why she never visited Mercury often; their leader was… how would one put it…? Unique in her own ways...

"I would suggest resting up until then."

Rei had expected Minako to catch onto the fact she had just been dismissed, but the blonde didn't move.

"Can I stay here with you?"

"If you think I'm going to be your pillow again, you are mistaken," Rei warned. The last memory brought a crimson blush to her cheeks.

"Aww… as nice as that would've been, I actually wasn't going to ask that." Minako waved a finger at her companion. "Actually, I wanted to know if you would play a game of cards with me. You know, to pass the time?"

This time it was Rei's turn to tilt her head. "A game of cards? You mean like a guessing game where you have to guess the number of the opponent's card or something like that?"

"Yeah!"

"I'll pass." Seeing the pout Minako was putting on, Rei advised, "It's a waste of time. Believe me."

"But it still passes the time!" Minako persisted.

Rei shrugged. There really wasn't any point in arguing this any further. She knew the Venusian wasn't about to let this drop (she could already the other woman was dragging an empty table towards her).

_The woman must be deaf or something because she never listens to a word I say, _Rei concluded. And as usual, more often than not, Rei had a reason backing her advice.

_There's actually a very good reason why I don't play card games…_

"Okay! So first I'll draw five cards and then I'll give you five cards. You know how to play Go Fish right?" She saw Rei nod slightly. "Okay, that's good! Then I don't have to explain it to you! I warn you though; I'm really good at this game. Hey, don't roll your eyes at me! Just you wait Rei, once I beat you, you'll see." Again Rei rolled her eyes with a bored look. "'Kay, so I'll go first if that's all right with you. Just to get the game flow going! Ahem, do you have… a four?"

Without skipping a beat, Rei immediately responded in a flat voice, "Go Fish."

"But you didn't even look at your cards!" Minako protested. "How could you know whether or not you have a four? Go on, look at them! They won't bite!"

The Martian humoured the other woman and looked at her cards. For a moment, Rei feigned a very thoughtful expression before repeating, "Go Fish."

"Hmph, fine. But you'd better be telling the truth." Minako warned in a sweet voice as she drew a new card from the deck.

"And if I'm not?"

"Oh, I can always find out. I have my ways."

"Uh huh," Rei shrugged, unconvinced. _She's obviously bluffing._

"Now it's your turn Rei-bear!"

"Would you please stop calling me that?" Without hesitation Rei then asked, "Do you have a seven?"

"Uhh… yeah actually, I do! Good guess!" Minako handed the other woman her card. "Go again! You definitely can't get lucky twice in a row!"

"An ace."

"… R-Right again! Jeez, you really are good at this game." _Maybe better than me…_ Minako worried.

"How about… a ten?"

"..."

"Well, am I right or not?"

_You see… card games are a waste of time for me because of my psychic abilities. I don't need to look at a card to know what it is._

"No way, you're right again! How are you cheating? Are there mirrors on the ceiling or something?"

"No, not at all." Rei calmly assured her. "As I recall, I told you these games are a waste of time for me--"

"Wait, I'll figure out this trick too! Give me a few rounds and I'll get it."

"…" _Umm…_ "But Minako…"

"Don't even think of backing out! I'll win one yet, just watch!"

(One hundred rounds later…)

"Just you wait… I'll… win… one yet…" Minako's head hit the table, scattering the cards all over the floor, after losing this round atop of the last one hundred. Rei shook her head.

"You really are too competitive for your own good…"

"Who says?"

"The person who beat you one hundred times." Minako sweat dropped. "Look Minako, for the last time, there's no trick to this and you CAN'T win against me. You have to be born with this kind of ability…"

"OH! So you mean it's one of those psychic abilities? Now everything makes sense... you-were-only-cheating-by-using-psychic-abilities-that-no-one-else-can-use-because-you-have-to-be-born-with-them." Minako brought her knees up onto the chair and stared at Rei as she sulked.

_She doesn't take losing well does she? _Rei stared back.

"Well, with that done and aside," Rei coughed, "I think we're going to arrive at Mercury shortly. So why don't you go and check up on Hotaru? I'm sure she misses you."

"Mm… Fine! I'll be right back, so don't you move an inch!" Minako shouted and gestured a finger at Rei. "Because when I get back we're going to play different game of cards and I'll be sure to win at that one for sure!"

_Isn't that supposed to be my line? _Rei waited until the blonde ran out of the room and out of sight before she visibly relaxed. _Goddess, it's very annoying when a person doesn't listen to a word you say! I must have given up trying to explain it to her after round ten. Although, I have to admit... her reaction every time she lost a card was amusing. The way she would frown, and then beg teary eyed at the cards as if she were hoping it would magically change their numbers… oh and I can't forget the little tantrums she threw throughout the game. Sometimes, she can really be like a child. Venus Minako, Daughter of Aphrodite, huh? We'll see about that…_

_**Ping!**_

"Hm? " _Well, well…_ "It appears that our guest has arrived."

_**Tup! Tup!**_

"Yipe!"

_**Clatter!**_

Rei calmly rose from her seat and strode across the room. When the Martian reached the doorway and peered around the corner, her suspicions were confirmed; down on the floor a familiar figure gripped her knee in pain while uttering a string of curses. It took the young girl awhile to realize that she had an audience.

"Nozomi." Rei's eyes flashed.

"Hm? Ah! H-Hello there!" The girl caught sight of her superior. _Uh-oh, she looks angry! _"I uhh… daaaaaang..."

"Don't give me that. What are you doing here? I told you specifically to stay at the palace!"

The hardness in Rei's voice snapped Nozomi back to her normal self.

"Grr… I'm here because of you! It's YOUR fault, so stop looking at me like that!"

"My fault?"

"We were supposed to have lessons today but you never showed up! I thought you slept in or something so I came to drag your lazy carcass out and fight me, but guess what? You were having a lovely chat with Minako! Did you have a lot of fun ditching training? You guys were looking pretty close there," She added venomously.

Now Nozomi had done it. The girl almost regretted those words as soon as they left her mouth because Rei's aura was dangerously seeping through her calm exterior. Occasionally a strand of the red power would flare out briefly before the Martian leader forcefully crushed it.

"I had business to attend to." She replied coolly. However, Rei chose not to elaborate further and Nozomi noticed this.

"Yeah, and you were going to take Hotaru and Minako along too! Just the three of you, going off to visit another planet by yourselves! Hmph. That's so like you, going off on an adventure and leaving me behind." Nozomi growled under her breath and glared stubbornly at the floor. Rei raised an eyebrow at this. "Maybe some people nee—er, want to know where you are! Haven't you ever thought of that? Running off without a word isn't very leader-like you know! Not only does it make you irresponsible but unreliable too! How any of those dolts for soldiers can trust you, I'll never know," Nozomi gestured with a shrug. "And that," she slammed her hands against the floor, "is why someone has to keep an eye on you!"

"You mean 'you'?"

"Who else?!" Nozomi shot back. "I'm more than competent enough! I did sneak on board without you knowing didn't I?"

"Well, not quite." Rei interrupted. Nozomi blinked at the news in surprise.

"W-What did you say?"

"To put it simply, almost any child can sneak about without being detected by a strong spiritual presence. Even Hotaru could accomplish exactly what you did."

"No way, you're lying! There's no way someone like Hotaru could do something like that!"

"I'm not lying. What I'm saying is absolute truth." Rei paused. A thought came to her just then. "You were complaining that I 'ditched' your lesson today, so listen up! Because this will be today's lesson instead. For high order beings such as Gods and Goddesses, it's actually easier for them to detect a strong spiritual power rather than a weak one. To be undetectable you would have to be either as weak as a child or have undergone strict training in aura suppression. In rare cases, however, it is possible for a child to be detected if there is already some evidence that can be traced." Seeing the confused expression from her pupil, Rei explained, "Memories, common ties, anything bonding."

"Oh, I get it now… so you're saying I'm weak!"

_You're completely missing the point! _"No, I'm saying that you're a child!" She shot back in irritation. They both exhausted heated glares.

"Whatever," Nozomi huffed and crossed her arms. "Why are we talking so much about kids anyway? They're weak and useless—Most of them are that is, but I'm not!" Nozomi caught herself upon remember Rei's earlier remark. Her cheeks burned at the memory. "I mean, what do Gods and Goddesses have to worry about anyway? They're super powerful!"

Her Commander fell silent.

"What? You know I'm right. Gods and Goddesses rule planets and they can control planet power! You said so during our last lesson!"

"...Yes, I did say that, didn't I? However, there is this legend... I don't suppose you've heard stories of the Sun Kingdom, Nozomi?" Nozomi shook her head and Rei bit back a bitter chuckle_. _

_I didn't think so. People of this day and age are so ignorant of their people's history._

"Anyway, there are legends that tell of a God who used to live on the Sun, and that many referred to him as Sun King Apollo, the ruler of the Gods. Remember, you were the one who asked why children had any relevance. As the stories go, they say that Apollo used an army of children, armed with the knowledge of aura suppression, to spy upon the other Gods and Goddesses in his court for him. Commonly they were also used for assassinations. This is the important part. The combination of being a child and being trained in the arts of killing creates the perfect soldier. Does that answer your question...?"

"Uhh…But i-it's only a story right?" Nozomi was trying her best not to let her uneasiness show.

"Of course it is! Firstly, no God or Goddess takes orders from anyone. And two, nothing can live on the Sun; it's only a hot ball of gas."

"Oh. Good." _Because that just sounds creepy! _The young girl bit her bottom lip. _I'm glad it's not like that on Mars._

_She's relieved. _Rei inwardly smirked She was surprised the story had that much impact on the girl. _I wonder if Minako's heard of that tale before…_

After all, it was just a silly story. Although, what Haruka had said earlier didn't quite bode well for them. It brought a frown to the soldier's face.

"_Rei. Hino Rei, my long time friend… We've found it-- one half of the key."_

_**Tup! Tup! Tup!**_

"Rei-bear!"

"Minako..."

"Look who I brought!" The woman enthusiastically waved. When Rei peered around at the blonde she could see little Hotaru was trailing slightly behind the woman's large steps. That is, until she spotted Rei and Nozomi.

"Nozomi! Auntie Rei!" Hotaru squealed as she ran to tackle Nozomi with a hug.

"Gah! Hotaru?! Not in front of Rei!" She hissed. _This is so embarrassing!_

"Oh, so Nozomi's here too?" Minako questioned. The diplomat wondered what sort of strings the girl pulled to convince Rei to bring her along. After all, Rei really was a mountain of stubbornness. "This is great! We all can play cards together!"

"You never learn, do you?" Rei interrupted.

"Nope. But I'm telling you, this is one game you can't cheat at!"

"Whatever."

Without missing a step Minako took this opportunity to lean into Rei's side and asked, "So, what did she do to you?"

Rei frowned, confused for a moment. "Oh? You mean Nozomi? Nothing." _Which is true, _The Martian thought to herself. "She was with us the entire time during the trip. In fact we were both having a lovely chat before you and Hotaru showed up."

"You mean you just invited her along while I had to argue with you?" Minako stepped back in a huff of indignation. She was livid with jealously. _Yeah right, like I'd believe that! Something's up, I know it!_

"What are you guys gossiping about now?" Nozomi shot the pair a suspicious look.

"Cookies?" Hotaru offered.

"Cookies?" Rei repeated. Her blonde haired companion decided to elaborate for her.

"Well the only way I could get Hotaru up was by promising to buy her some cookies when we landed. So I hope you don't mind, but can we stop off at the market place or something on the way to the palace?"

"Minako…"

_**Beep. Beep. Beep-beep! **_

Everyone turned their heads as a voice shortly boomed over the speakers.

"_**Attention passengers, we have arrived at the planet Mercury's space port. It is now time…"**_

"So...I guess we're here then!" Nozomi affirmed what was on everyone's minds. _This is so awesome! I've never been on another planet before! _Her curiosity danced at the surface of her amethyst eyes, quite the opposite of Rei's. Rei was looking either disinterested or actually, Nozomi wasn't quite sure what her superior was thinking. The Martian leader was hard to figure out, period.

"Let's head for the nearest exit," Rei advised, though to everyone else it sounded like she was giving a command. "The crew will send our things ahead of us."

Without another word (and not knowing what else to do) they all followed Rei down a series of metallic hallways until they stopped before a large door. Rei analyzed the barricade for a moment; her eyes seemed to be searching for something, but her concentration wasn't on the door itself.

"It's this button, right?" Without waiting for a reply, Minako pressed a red button to the side. The light in the panel above it turned green, shortly before a sound of moving gears dominated the area.

_**Creeeak, creeeeak, creeeeak…**_

_**WOOSH!**_

"!"

A gust of wind tore through the chamber and hit the group. Everyone but Rei gave a shout of surprise.

"W-What's going on?!" Nozomi cried.

Through her raised arms, Minako peeked to see a crystallized, blue wall in her line of vision. For a second she thought she was seeing things.

_What is that? It almost looks like...a wall? But what's that doing there?! Where's Mercury? Oh! Unless...is it like Mars's capital city?_

Rei outstretched her hand despite her hair whipping wildly around her, and touched the barricade as she muttered something under her breath. As soon as her lips stopped moving a stream of light shot out from the structure and wrapped itself around Rei's extended arm. Its energy swirled up along the limb up to Rei's face and then down her legs before it flung itself back at the wall with a loud collision. The insignia of Mercury appeared on the crystallized surface. The tense moment was punctured when the wall suddenly cracked and broke down altogether. Like pieces of a broken mirror, the barricade was stripped and, behind it, it revealed Mercury's Capital City, _Astallos Curio_.

"You all better stay close." Rei instructed.

The wind died down and the atmosphere immediately rang with the voices of people. High technology based buildings of all sizes came into view. They littered the central grounds farther than the eye could see, while along the city's outer limits ran the famous Tran-transportation circuit. From an aerial view, its design formed the shape of a symbolic circle that loomed just above the business areas. At a first glance, it was apparent that the people of Mercury led a very different lifestyle from those of Mars. The city's inhabitants flocked to the train stations like bees to honey. One after another, the crowds would just pile into a car and be shuttled off as another car road in and filled up once again. The movement was endless. It was as if a mini space terminal had been built inside the city.

"We'll be walking to the palace over there. If any of you get lost, which shouldn't happen," Rei warned in a low voice, "head over there. That will be our point of destination."

She was pointing far across the city to the palace. It was most noticeably the largest structure in the entire city. Though it's most distinguishable feature was not its size, but the fact that it wasn't quite as high tech as the surrounding areas. The front grounds were laid with a carpet of green turf, not concrete. And the palace itself wasn't made from piles of glass, wires or metal, but of marble. Like Mars and Venus, Mercury's palace had preserved its ancient history and it undeniably radiated an aura of superiority. The machines below almost appeared to bow down before it.

_Wow…_ Nozomi thought. She thought her brain was going numb in shock. _I've never seen anything like this at home!_

"Nozomi, don't fall behind!" Rei barked.

The girl whipped her head around to see that Minako, Hotaru and Rei had already descended the first row of steps. Behind her, at that very instant, another load of people had just arrived at the platform and they quickly swarmed into the area.

"I-I'm coming! You don't have to treat me like a child!"

The dark haired girl managed to make it down half of the steps before she bumped into someone.

_**Whomp!**_

"Oof!" She fell, but the tall, cloaked figure caught her before she hit the hard cement. "I-I'm sorry, really! I was just trying to get over to my friends and I—I really should have watched where I was going," She rambled awkwardly. The person watched the young girl silently through their hood before turning their attention towards the rest of the group when Rei bellowed,

"NOZOMI!"

"Uhh, thanks for catching me, whoever you are, but I've really gotta get going now," Nozomi again thanked before she ran off. "I'm coming Sir Rei!"

_**Tup! Tup! Tup Tup!**_

"Rei...?" The cloaked person had barely caught the girl's words. In wonder they brought a hand to their hidden face and silently pondered to themselves as the newly re-united group disappeared into the crowds.

"So she's finally arrived…" They chuckled.

(Mercury's Business Sector)

"We're only here for cookies right?" Rei's eyes darted around at all the booths.

"Yup, a promise is a promise." Minako said too soon before a shiny stone caught her eye. "Oooh!"

_Yeah right… _Both Rei and Nozomi simultaneously thought.

"It's so pretty, right Hotaru?" On the display booth were lines of gemstones, all of which were polished perfectly smooth and waxed till they shone. For a moment Minako put Hotaru down as she inspected the golden stone which had caught her eye. "Rei, Nozomi, come take a look at this!"

From the ground, Hotaru looked up at her blonde guardian and then around the crowd at all the new faces. But one in particular caught her gaze, a cloaked figure standing to one side of the incoming stream of people. Hotaru blinked as the person looked up, noticing that they had been spotted. For a brief instant, the girl saw a pair of dark, green eyes.

"Papa…?" She cooed.

As everyone was too busy arguing with Minako, no one noticed as the girl began to wander off.

"Come on Minako, that thing is obviously a fake." Rei retorted.

"I'd have to agree with Sir Rei this time," Nozomi nodded. "So can we go now?"

"Aw, you guys are real party-poopers! Half of the fun in shopping is window shopping!" Though the logic made no sense whatsoever to Rei or Nozomi, they both nodded anyway with a 'sure, if you say so', attitude. "But if you insist on spoiling the fun, fine. I just happen to know how to tell whether it's fake or not without spending hours at it."

"Oh?"

"Ta-da!" Minako pulled out a card deck.

Rei blinked back. "You want to play cards at a time like this? Do that after we get to the palace!"

Upon hearing this, Minako sighed and shook her head as if she were talking to a child. "Such ignorance…tut, tut! This isn't the same deck of cards! Now watch and behold, Rei-bear, my number one card trick!" The woman picked a card off the top of the pile and showed its blank face to Rei and Nozomi. Then she turned her attention to the stone and held the card's faceless side towards it and said,

"It's a fake."

The card glowed and jumped out of her grasp, and fell to the table directly over top of the gem. Once everyone leaned in to get a better look, they saw that the once blank face now possessed the photograph of the gem stone.

"What do you know? It was a fake after all." Minako shrugged as she picked up the card. She waved the thin material in the air for a bit and the image disappeared.

"How did you do that?" Nozomi asked wide eyed as the blonde stored away the cards in her traveling bag.

"It's nothing really," Minako assured. "It's like a guessing game. You ask the cards questions but in an indirect way. If what you say is true, then the card will reflect the image of it. Doesn't matter what it is, it will show you a symbol or a picture, just something! But if you're wrong… it just goes black. My mother gave them to me before I left."

"That's so cool! I've got to get something like that someday! Right, Sir Rei?"

_**Ping!**_

But the Martian Commander was on the alert. _Something's here…_ Her eyes flew across the crowds in intense concentration. It puzzled her. Who could have that level of power in a place like this?

"Minako- grab hold of Hotaru. We're leaving right now." Rei said stiffly.

"Eh? But why?"

"Are you telling me that you can't sense it?"

"Sense what?" _I don't understand what she's talking about._ Minako thought in confusion as she bent down to where she placed Hotaru. "What do you think Hota-" She was startled when she felt her hand tapped hard ground. _Where's… _

"Hotaru?"

The question didn't go unnoticed by her travelling companions. "What's wrong?"

"It's Hotaru, she's gone!"

"What?!" The raven-haired woman demanded. "What do you mean, gone? You supposed to be watching her!"

"I-I… Hey, all of us were supposed to be watching her! Don't just go blaming me!"

"Tch." _Then there's only one thing to do! _

Closing her eyes, Rei began to concentrate. She could feel her consciousness slip away from her body and fall into the crowd, weaving and searching around every person for some trace of the little girl. Every so often she thought she heard that noise again, but as soon as she sensed the presence it was gone. Whoever it was, they were infuriatingly fast.

_Come on... Where are you? I can't lose you! _A lining of purple crossed her path and she jumped. The dark purple was like a powdery cloud, a spiritual trail left behind where Hotaru must have wandered. Rei trained onto it with every ounce of power she had but it was a mistake. Her vision grew fuzzy in her eagerness. _Must relax, just relax…_ She told herself. After a couple of deep breaths the images cleared and came back into focus better than before. Again she was on the trail. Not surprisingly the evidence didn't venture far from the area. However, she received a great shock when the trail ended where a cloaked figure stood.

_**Ping!**_

"Over there!" Rei's eyes snapped open and she bolted in the direction of the sound.

"Wha- Rei! Wait up!"

_**Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!**_

But Rei wouldn't stop. She bolted through the city's maze of towers with a maddening urgency. There were so many people- she knew it was the busiest section of Mercury, but the number of people was really starting to piss her off. That was why she hated crowds. Why did they all have to get in her way? She had nearly run into a person more than a few times (if she didn't possess the agility she had, she surely would have).

"Get out of the way!"

"Woah! Watch where you're going kid!"

"Idiot!" Rei cursed under her breath.

"Rei, where are you going?" She could hear Minako cry out from behind her. A glance over her shoulder told her that the blonde was keeping up somewhat, but Nozomi was barely hanging in there.

"I know where Hotaru is." Rei told herself.

"Huff...! Huff...!

_**Tup! Tup! **_

"Huff! Huff! Huff!"

_**Tup! Tup!**_

_**Skiiiiid!**_

Panting for breath, Rei ran through dark, narrow alleyway and into a clearing of a vacant lot. There she had found what she was looking for, and more. Up ahead, Hotaru had crawled up to the cloaked figure and was asking,

"...Papa?" She tugged the fabric at their legs. The person chuckled and sent shivers down Rei's spine. That voice sounded oddly familiar.

"I'm sorry little one, but I'm not your papa." The person apologized. When they bent down to pick up the child, Rei cried out,

"Don't touch her!"

"Hm?" The other party halted their movements and left the girl alone.

Minako and Nozomi finally caught up, and stepped up beside Rei. The Venusian also felt nervous at the sight of the stranger.

"I don't know who you are, but please leave the child alone." She stated in a formal tone. "She belongs in our company. We would like her to return to us, _unharmed_." She stressed.

The figure remained silent.

Minako stared long and hard at the person. _If only they didn't have that hood over their eyes…_ She was startled when Rei suddenly growled,

"Enough of this crap. Let me make it clear to you. If you don't get away from that child I'll move you by force!"

"Sir Rei…" Nozomi whispered in awe. The sheer force and determination that Rei possessed suddenly made her feel insignificant. _I wish I could do something to help…_ "Hey, look!" Nozomi cried out in alarm; the cloaked opponent began walking towards them in deliberate, slow steps. A green aura electrically charged the air around them.

"Geh." Rei leapt ahead of Minako and Nozomi, and took on fighting stance.

_So that's the way you want to play huh?_

_Rei… _Minako watched the woman's backside. From a glance she could see Rei's aura flaring up as well. It was incredibly strong! She wondered if Rei was really controlling it or if it was always a burning flame, like on the battlefield against Uranus.

Sh_e's always fighting isn't she? Soldier this, soldier that, a leader's responsibilities… There must be something I can do!_ Unconsciously her hand slid down her traveling bag to a certain pouch. _Wait! I've got it. There IS something I can do!_

Minako thrust her hand inside the pouch and withdrawn her deck of cards. The sudden action stole Rei's attention momentarily.

"Minako, this no time to be playing cards!" Rei scolded the other woman. Her eyes were quickly drawn back to her opponent; their aura had leapt up another notch, creating a strong electric effect in the air. Rei nearly flinched when whispery threads of electricity flew past her face.

_What the--? _Her eyes suddenly widened. _It couldn't be!_

"Actually that's where you're wrong! This is a perfect time to play cards!" Minako threw the deck into the air and the cards scattered in the wind. "Call it!"

"Grr…" Rei sought for the information in her mind. She only had to guess right?

_What do I have to lose? _

"Fine! Here goes! Thunder!" A card amongst the swarm overturned and depicted a green thunderbolt. _The guess was correct!_ Rei confirmed. On the other end the figure had hesitated for a moment in surprise, but they quickly resumed their movements. Encouraged, Rei cried, "Strong, Gentle, Caring, umm...Goddess! Spear!" The cards kept flipping, each revealing a new picture. She knew who it was now.

"Jupiter Makoto!"

_**Flash!**_

The last card to hit the ground flipped up with a picture of a person on it. Minako gasped in shocked. _Did I hear what I thought I heard? Could this person be a…_

"That's some card trick." The figure chuckled as they bent down to pick up the card and peered at the picture. "Wow... Do I really look like that?"

With that the hood was pulled back to reveal the person's face. It was a young woman, no more than Rei and Minako's age. Her long, chestnut coloured hair was kept back in a ponytail, and rose-shaped earrings hung from her ears.

_Wow, she's really pretty…_ Minako almost blushed. _I like her eyes…_ The other woman's eyes were a beautiful shade of bright green, but saying that's all they were would be an underestimation. All the emotions and history that surely hid beneath those pools of green mystery would surely drown any curious adventurer. _But I like Rei's a lot more._ Minako inwardly giggled.

"Are you...really a Goddess?" Minako finally asked. The green aura around the stranger died down within a blink of an eye.

"I suppose so," The other woman smiled. "Oh, and aren't you a cutie?" She finally picked up Hotaru, without protest this time, and Hotaru gave a happy laugh.

"She means yes," Rei translated curtly. "Now tell me, what you're doing here? Do you have some of business with Mercury or what? Planet leaders aren't supposed to leave their planet, that's what representatives are for!"

"Blunt as always Rei," Makoto walked over to where the group stood and handed Hotaru back to Minako. "Actually, I do have business with Mercury. But neither of us has seen you for such a long time, so we decided that I should come and get you."

"Why didn't you just so earlier?!"

"Well, where would the fun be in that?" Makoto laughed.

Rei's right eyebrow was starting to twitch dangerously. "Makoto…"

"Now Rei…" Minako tried to calm the other woman. "Be nice. So, I take it that you've known Rei for awhile?" She addressed the Goddess.

"Mhm. But we can talk about that later. Right now, Mercury is waiting for us."

"Oh, when I see her, I'll…" Rei grumbled and trudged away.

"…?" Minako watched the fiery tempered woman head off with Nozomi in the palace's general direction. _I wonder what's eating her? She just met up with a friend. What's so bad about that?_

"She hates losing," Makoto offered.

"Losing?"

"Well, you see… Mercury is the top engineering scientist of her people, and she doesn't only monitor her planet's records, but she watches over Mar's and Jupiter's records as well. Anything and everything, she's always updating the databases. So whenever Rei comes over for a visit, Mercury always has some sort of test up her sleeve to gather some data from her. Like a personal check up if you will. That's probably why Rei doesn't come to visit very often. Or that's what I think anyway."

"But… how did Rei lose?"

"It was a detection test. Since Rei couldn't sense me without using those... interesting cards," She added, "She lost. I've been watching all of you since you left the space terminal."

But Minako wasn't really listening.

_So she's known Rei for awhile? I've only met her but she seems like someone who just might be able to hold her own against Rei. I'm not sure what it was, but that power I felt back then, both her and Rei's... for a moment, I was almost... scared._

"You sure know a lot Lady Jupiter."

"Hm? Oh please! Makoto is fine. To be honest I really don't know a lot, but I know enough to get by. Anyway, I'm sorry, but I don't believe I've asked for your name. Are you a friend of Rei's?"

"Well, I think so… but silly Rei just hasn't realized it yet!" Makoto sweat dropped. "My name is Venus Minako. It's nice to meet ya!" Minako extended her hand.

_Huh? Venus Minako?_ Makoto questioned herself. "Did you just say…'Venus'?"

"Hm? Yes, I did." Minako smiled back. "Why?"

"Ah! No, it's nothing!" Makoto took the other woman's hand and shook it. "It's nice to meet you too."

(Asta, Palace of Mercury)

Rei marched up the marble steps towards the presence that surely awaited her at the top. For once, she was grateful for all these ridiculous steps- she had plenty of time to regain her composure, and this time she was determined to keep it.

"Ami!" Rei barked as she entered the entrance with the others following closely behind. "I know you're there with that little computer of yours. Come out right now!" She demanded.

A figure in the shadows watched the Martian through the blue screen of her data analyzer and smiled. How well Rei knew her…

"You can calm down. I'm right here…" The blue haired leader stepped into view.

Unlike the rest of the group her hair was short. As for her dress wear the woman sported a pair of white shoes and pants, but the rest of her attire consisted of a blue shirt and a thin, translucent scarf that wrapped around her neck. At first, Minako was confused. Was this woman really the leader of the most technologically advanced civilization in the solar system? Ami's physical frame appeared almost delicate, and her soft voice was anything but a fighter's. But it was misleading because at first sight Minako felt the hairs at the back of her neck stand on end. As the blue screen dissipated away from the other woman's eyes, Minako caught a glimpse of the blue aura around Mercury. It was only for a split second, but she had seen it.

_She's just like Rei and Makoto…_ Minako shivered. _But almost scarier! I can't quite explain it._

The absolute calm that Mercury carried brought the Venusian to wonder what would happen if that still surface broke. She'd never seen an angry Goddess before, but she was sure that she would never want to see the blue-haired woman angered.

"It's good to see you again Rei," Ami greeted, her intelligent blue eyes reflecting the warmth in her voice.

"Hmph," Rei returned a cross look.

"Oh come on Rei, don't be like that," Makoto stepped up behind her and lightly held the shorter woman's shoulder. Minako was mortified. _My Rei!_ She wanted to shout. "You know you missed us. Admit it!"

"…Yeah, okay… maybe I did…" Rei reluctantly muttered. "But not those tests!"

Mercury merely smiled in understanding. They've been through this many times before.

"Yes Rei, I know. However, they _are_ required. It's essential that I update your personal statistics frequently… otherwise, if there should be a problem in the future I won't be able to help you to the full extent of my knowledge and capability. Besides, the tests will keep you alert and healthy. We all know how important it is for a planet's 'leader' to keep in top physical condition, don't we?"

Rei turned her head away and Makoto sweat dropped. Silently behind the close friends, Minako handed Hotaru over to Nozomi. Although no one else was going to correct Rei's attitude, the Princess of Venus wasn't about to let this pass any longer; after all, etiquette, manners, and love were key on her home world.

_**Tup!**_

"H-Hu--- Gaaah!" Rei cried out. Minako had caught her from behind and threw her into in a surprisingly effective headlock. "W-What are you doing you crazy girl? Let go of me!"

"You know Rei... I reeeeeally think you need to be a little more thankful that people care for you," Minako easily fought off Rei's pathetic struggles.

"I don't need you telling me what to do! Ouch, watch it, my neck!"

"Oh my, and who is this young lady?" Ami inquired.

"Who--" Rei and Minako started.

"Me?"

"Her?" Rei almost fell down and died of laughter right there. _Young lady? PFFFFT!!!!_

"Cut. That. Out!" Minako tightened her hold. "My name is Venus Minako. Hey, I'm warning you Rei... It's nice to meet you." She again addressed Ami.

"Venus?" Ami glanced over to Makoto and saw her nodding back. "I see. My name is Mercury, Ami. It is also a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I would imagine that you and your companions are tired are your long trip. Perhaps we should all retire for some rest and discuss matters later. I believe Rei will need it," She giggled.

"Oh?" Minako looked down to see Rei's face turning blue from lack of air. "Oops." She suddenly released her hold and Rei dropped to the floor gasping for breath.

_I'll-- never let that-- happen again! _The raven-haired woman vowed. _Her and Ami will definitely get along. Crazy women!_

"Hey, you asked for it." Minako waved a finger in front of Rei's face. She wasn't a mind reader, but she had a pretty good idea of what was going through the Martian's mind at that instant.

"Hmph. Let's see _you_ run through land mine fields and dodge lasers every visit," Rei muttered. "Honestly Ami, why can't you test Makoto or any of the others too?! I swear! You're going to kill me with all these tests before I even get the chance to grow old!"

Ami let out a small gasp and looked hurt. For a moment Minako thought the blue-haired ruler was going to cry. After seeing this reaction, Rei distanced herself from the others and hung her head. The woman was shocked herself; in all of the time she's been kept those kinds of feelings bottle up inside the control she had over them was suddenly gone in an instant. It bothered Rei; Ami didn't deserve that and she knew it.

"Rei!" Makoto also looked mortified. "You know we wouldn't…"

"Grow old?" Minako asked, confused. "What are you talking about Rei? Don't be silly, Goddesses can't grow old."

With all eyes on her, Rei knew where this was going and she didn't like it one bit. Ami and Makoto's uncomfortable expressions were already getting on her nerves.

"I think I need some rest after all," She announced. "Nozomi, Hotaru, come on. I'll make sure you get a room." The two girls were just as confused as the others were, but they obediently followed the Martian.

"Rei…?" Minako asked again. She was about to follow Rei, too, when Makoto caught her arm. "What did I say?"

"Minako… you mean, don't know?" When Makoto saw the ignorance reflecting in the blonde's eyes, she knew.

"Know what?"

Minako watched Makoto hesitantly threw a questioning gaze over to Ami, who nodded back. "Rei isn't exactly… well, like us." She then released the Venusian's arm. But Minako didn't even feel her arm fall back to her side. Suddenly, she just felt numb.

"Not like us? You mean she's not a…?"

Minako looked to Makoto and then to Ami. Ami nodded but remained silent. She was still having difficulty regaining her composure from Rei's last remark.

"Yeah… she's not a Goddess." There, Makoto had finally said it; yet she couldn't say it without grimacing at the term. "You see, because of protocol, the planet heirs are supposed to meet with the other future heirs at various events throughout the year. As far as I can remember, Mar's leader always brought Rei with him. So I thought she was like the rest of us too, and it was a shock when I found out, believe me. But it's not like it made a difference. We all still consider her our close friend. That's why… we worry about her, Ami especially. It's the reason why she's always giving Rei these tests. Because she worries…"

"Please, if you will excuse me…" Minako said weakly. "I think I need some time to be alone."

_I need time to think…_

As soon as she saw the nods Minako left the room. Both Ami and Makoto stayed silent until the blonde woman disappeared from sight and they could no longer sense her presence.

"Do you really think we did the right thing by telling her about Rei?" Makoto asked in a quiet voice.

"I believe so. If Minako starts to see Rei differently now because of this, then…"

_You're still trying to protect her. _Makoto turned around and embraced the blue haired woman in a hug. Ami allowed herself to be taken into those strong arms. Almost instantly did she finally calm down; it was comforting to know someone was there for you.

They stayed like that for what seemed like forever until Ami finally whispered,

"She said she was Venus Minako…"

"I know, but it's still too early to tell. I can definitely sense some kind of Goddess power within her. It's faint, but it's there…"

"During all of our childhood visits… am I forgetting…?"

"No," Makoto shushed the woman. "It's not you, and I'm sure Rei's noticed it too. During those visits…there was no Venus Minako."

**

* * *

**

**Next in HFD Ch. 7: Between Past and Present**

**Minako knows about Rei now, but what is she going to do about it? And how will Rei coop? Will she be able to face Minako or the others? Meanwhile, Makoto finally reveals her business with Mercury- what could have forced the leader of Jupiter to venture out so far?**


	7. Between Past and Present

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sailor Moon

**A/N:** Okay, a little long… but not nearly as long as the last one.

**

* * *

**

"_Do you really think we did the right thing by telling her about Rei?"_

On the far side of the palace entrance, past multiple doorways and various stairwells, there was a single room that sat apart from the rest of the guest quarters. It sat at the end of its section, with no nearby window to shed light onto its entrance--a tiny door-- it was nothing more than an insignificant, wooden frame that dutifully guarded its current master from prying eyes of the outside world. However, unlike the bright world beyond the palace walls, the inside of the chamber was drowned in darkness.

_**Ping!**_

…**FfFfzz…**

Inside the chamber's center, as one would not expect, was not the eye of the storm but the storm itself.

"_I believe so. If Minako starts to see Rei differently now because of this, then…"_

_...Different…?_

Amethyst eyes crawled open, fiercely aware of her tingling senses. Her hearing had become sharply acute as she listened for echoing footsteps in the corridors outside.

_Did they hear me? _Rei knew Ami and Makoto weren't slouches at this game. They were no longer the timid children that they used to be. _If they found out that I'm…_

Rei narrowed her eyes, and then closed them altogether. The energy she spared from her sight was transferred towards her spiritual activities.

…**FfFzz…FfFfzz…**

…**FfFfzz…**

"Nothing," Rei half-whispered to herself. "They must have moved on…"

However, the Martian performed a few more readings just in case. Only until she was satisfied did she release the pent up energy into her surroundings; the strands of red energy, resembling snakes, crawled away from their source and curled up within the inanimate objects within the room. They dropped into drawers, slipped beneath the bed covers and became one with the threads that carpeted the floor by the front door. Being raised the way she was, Rei disliked wasting anything; instead of allowing the energy to dissipate into useless heat, she manipulated it into a greater purpose. She set a trap throughout the room. If a presence should ever step foot into the place she would know instantly by the extension of her own soul (it was rather difficult to overlook the feeling of someone trampling on oneself).

But was she really worried about being found? Everyone knew she went to rest. She had even announced it! Everyone knew where she was.

Unable to explain the flood of emotions she was experiencing, Rei allowed the silence to take her again. It was almost comforting to see reality reflecting the bleakness ravaging her heart. She was feeling restless and her muscles were tense. She wanted to do something, but what could she do? The damage had already been done.

_This is crazy, why am I feeling like this? _Rei snapped at herself. She held herself up on her knees, pondering this damning confusion. _Who cares if Minako knows that I'm not… like her or like any of them for that matter? She would have found out sooner or later anyway. _

She just hadn't seen the point in announcing to the world, that's all.

Rei's dark eyes began to cloud up in memory. A nostalgic wave of emotions gripped her tightly, tugging on her, beckoning her to someplace she did not want to visit as a child to its mother. Her pride rebelled. In that instant Rei shook her head, struggling for air, and sought for a shred of her cool, collected nature. When did it become so hard to breathe? But there was no time for that, for the line between reality and memory blurred; the woman's thoughts had already melded through some unexplainable connection. The answer for her stubbornness, she already knew it.

_It was always—no, not always. It wasn't always like this! Ami, Makoto, Neptune, Haruka …_

She knew the reason.

_It's all because of what happened back then. That day, everything changed..._

_(Neptunalia, Palace of Neptune, 8 years ago…_)  
_  
"Did you hear?" A man whispered to his friend._

"_I can't almost believe it." A woman across the street broke out into nervous laughter.  
__  
__There was an excited piece of gossip on the streets of Neptune; today was the day that the royal heirs would gather together for one of their annual visits. As it was decided from way back, it was the planet's turn to host the reunion for this year. It was their turn to be honoured with so many powerful and influential beings at once, and, in truth, many found the opportunity to be wonderfully overwhelming. Though the people of Neptune prided themselves for their physical beauty, they knew that they would someday grow old. Their hair would turn gray and their skin should wrinkle, but there were creatures who even Father Time could not influence- Gods. Admiring a God or Goddess from afar, as the citizens would often do to their leader, would stir a sense of wonder and envy within them or a sense of peace. But to see a gathering of so many magnificent persons! Imaginations went wild; the women would swoon and the men would gawk. Oh, and the heirs were okay too. Word on the street had rumoured that the tykes were reaching those teenage years._

_Now normally there would be much to do to prepare; any host of the Gods and Goddesses would be somewhat concerned about presenting themselves in a fashionably manner. Yet their leader had her preparations complete long before the guests had arrived. There was little to do in the first place; the city already was blessed with a unique beauty. Unlike Mercury and their technology, or Mars with its deserts, Neptune possessed naturally built-in streams that ran throughout its capital city. The water itself often proved to be more than enough entertainment for the foreigners; many souls found the sound of the watery splashes soothing, or they would content themselves by watching their own reflecting off of the clear, blue surface. For those who tired quickly of the cool substance, if not careful, they would lose themselves by simply gazing at the splendid city of white and blue marble, crafted into finely decorated structures. Only the capital city of Venus or Uranus could come even close to mirroring its exotic beauty._

_It wasn't until early afternoon when the guests finally arrived. Standing serenely at the front gate waiting to greet them was Neptune's current ruler, and her young daughter and heir. The child at Neptune's side was a tiny girl, with shoulder length aquamarine hair and eyes like her mother. With those charming young eyes, she would peer down the line of approaching Gods and Goddesses, keeping a watchful eye for others of her class and rank._

"_Mercury, Jupiter, I bid thee welcome," Neptune greeted the two approaching rulers. Beside Mercury and Jupiter were two girls who looked to be a year, if not two, younger than the Princess of Neptune. Ami shyly watched the headstrong Neptunian princess, while Makoto offered a mumbled 'hello' on behalf of herself and her shy companion._

"_I hear that Aphrodite will not be attending," Mercury spoke up. He looked to be a tall, blue haired man in his prime. The decaying process of age had not laid a finger on him or his fellow comrades._

"_Yes, I heard word from her messenger yesterday," Neptune replied regretfully. "Apparently she is held up by business matters."_

"_Business matters!" Mercury immediately scoffed. "I doubt it very much. She hasn't shown her face amongst us for years now. Where is her heir? Did we not all agree to these annual gatherings?"_

"_Now, now Mercury," Jupiter spoke to his friend. "At least we know that Lady Aphrodite is alive and well. It may be that some of us need more time to adjust to the changing times. The new era has only been established five years ago." Mercury gave a reluctant nod at this. He could not seem to find any grounds for argument with his patient friend. "Besides, Lady Neptune always hosts the most amazing parties. I think we should try to enjoy ourselves. It has been very stressing year for all of us."_

"_I agree," Neptune smiled. "We are still awaiting a few guests, so until we have all arrived, feel free to wander about. There is no need to hurry with the meeting."_

_As the three adults continued to chatter with each other, Ares and Uranus had finally arrived. The two men were most likely gloating over who had the better heir, yet something was amiss-- the heirs themselves. The Princess of Neptune and her friends continued to throw curious glances towards the newly arrived rulers as they passed by. Neither of them appeared disturbed by this fact._

"_Where is Haruka and Rei?" Ami finally asked._

"_One guess," Makoto sighed. "You know how they are."_

_Both girls were slightly startled when, without a word, the Princess of Neptune fiercely spun on her heels and began to march back towards the palace. Unlike her companions she didn't need to guess where the two culprits had gone. She knew exactly where they went, and she wasn't at all too pleased._

_Although the business meetings took place within the palace, it was well known that Neptune always threw a type of relaxation party afterwards in the field behind the Godly structure. Food, drink and entertainment of all varieties would be served. The adults would talk some more while the children would become more acquainted with each other out back._ _Although today there were two participants who were a little more than anxious to get the festivities started._

_**Tup!**_

_**Tup!**_

_Two blurs dashed out from the palace's back entrance and into the field where they promptly ducked underneath one of the party tables. The tablecloth, to their delight, was long enough that it reached to the ground, proving to be a very effective hiding place._

"_So, do youf tink thay saw us?" Haruka mumbled as her partner peeked underneath the tablecloth for pursuers. Her mouth was stuffed with the cookies they had 'borrowed' from the kitchen. The rest of the pile lay in her long arms._

"_I don't think so..." Rei was ninety percent sure; she couldn't see anyone charging their way cursing, or waving a kitchen utensil like a mob with pitchforks. In fact, she just couldn't see anyone. There was no one in sight in the field, just the empty party tables. Perhaps her and Haruka were just that good? _

'_Hmm…' But strangely enough, she was still getting the feeling that they were being watched. Rei frowned at this, and contemplated whether or not she should do a detection reading. While behind her, Haruka stuffed another handful of cookies into her mouth._

"_Want some?" The blonde offered._

"_No thanks." Rei shook her head. "You know how bad sweets are for training! If I suddenly got fat, I'd get hell if Ares finds out."_

_Both girls knew that 'hell' went along the lines of more chores, shifts on cleaning duty, and having their training increased to massive proportions. Oh, and none of them could forget the worst punishment of all- the 'lecture'. People would be mistaken if they thought it was a simple, talk/scolding session. It always started with talk, but it always ended with a practice fight against the planet ruler. It was a very painful lesson, and Haruka could personally attest to that! The last time she picked a fight with Uranus, the old man knocked her out with a spinning kick (they really don't hold back if you slacked off, nothing like a little discipline to straighten a child out). Normally the conditions for punishment in Mars and Uranus's military ranks were very similar, but Rei, on the other hand, wasn't too worried about a punishment like Haruka's. She had bigger worries on her plate if the God of War found out._

"_Man, that dude is a hardass. Growing kids NEED sweets to survive!" Haruka bit down on another cookie. "Besides, you worry too much yourself. You gotta enjoy things while you can! This is what we have now. You can't even get this stuff living on the streets, you know..."_

"_Still…"_

_**Ping!**_

"_Uh...Rei? Did you just feel that?"_

_Rei and Haruka slowly turned their heads, and stared at the shadow hovering on the tablecloth in front of them._

"_Bad feeling…" Rei flatly stated as she watched the shadow's hand reaching towards the white cloth._

"_So uhh… Rei, you know about our training_ _plan to infiltrate and not get caught?" Haruka rambled quickly in a moment of fear._

"_Yeah?"_

"_I think we're screwed…"_

_**FWOOSH**_

"_There you are!" An angry voice cried out. Rei and Haruka (with her armful of cookies) blinked back at the Princess of Neptune. Her aquamarine eyes were shooting daggers at the pair before her, especially at Haruka._

"_Uhh… hello dere," Haruka gave a nervous laugh. "Want a cookie?"_

"_No thank you," The girl replied coolly._

'_What a snob,' The Martian heir secretly thought. She never really liked the other girl, especially now than ever. The Neptunian Princess had so many masks that it irritated the Martian; why couldn't she have shown her true face earlier rather than hiding it for all these years? During their last visit the girl really exposed herself as the snob she was._

"_What's with that look? If you have something to say, then out with it! You know we aren't supposed to have deserts until after the meeting and everyone's had dinner."_

"_But Michiru, you know Rei and Haruka have always been like this." Ami spoke up on their behalf. She flinched back when those angry aquamarine eyes turned on her._

"_She's right," Makoto nodded. "Why not leave them alone? It's not like they're going to listen to you, you know."_

_Michiru looked up at the taller girl in annoyance. "Why are you sticking up for them? They aren't like us at all!" She pointed. "They're only human!"_

_Haruka put another cookie in her mouth, looking undisturbed by the comment. Rei on the other hand felt like her blood was beginning to boil._

"_Or have you forgotten that they used to live on the streets for Goddess sakes?"_

"_And what's wrong with that?!" Rei shot back._

_Michiru gripped her fingers into tiny fists._

"_I couldn't care less which planet you're both from. But living on the streets means that you were both thieves! Or do you deny it? How can we even think of trusting scum like you?!" _

_Rei was about to snap. How dare this twit talk about something she's never known about? While her and Haruka had to endure many hardships just to survive all of these years, this snob was being pampered like a spoiled brat by her mommy. Even now! Rei doubted Michiru had to work nearly as hard as the 'former thieves' had to in preparing for their futures. _

_Just when the words were about to spill out of her mouth, the Martian suddenly noticed something odd about the girl in front of her; there were tears forming in her eyes. Oh great, now what? But they weren't fake tears. Michiru suddenly seemed genuinely saddened by something. Everyone was rendered speechless; if it wasn't one thing Michiru did, it was crying._

"_I can't believe I trusted you!" She shouted and ran off._

"_Michiru!" Haruka called after her. The blonde gave a quick glance down at the cookies in her arms before she dumped them onto Ami, and ran off to find the Princess of Neptune. "Michiru, wait up!"_

_**Tup! Tup! Tup!**_

"_Huh." Was all Rei could muster. Most of her earlier anger had drained away and was replaced by confusion. "Did I... just miss something here?"_

"_Michiru is still in shock from the truth..." Ami answered quietly. Rei seemed slightly taken aback that it was Ami who had spoken, and not Makoto. From all the years they've known each other, the blue haired girl appeared to be very intelligent (more so than the rest of their group, though Rei sometimes hated to admit it). However, the prodigy genius had a bad habit of clamping up and never uttering a word for periods on end._

"_The truth?" Rei arched an eyebrow. She felt the pains of irritation prickling her heart at the mention. "Oh riiiight, I remember now. She was all nice and polite when we first met but after she learned something new about our pasts, she went all Miss Snob. Suddenly, we're monsters!" She growled in a sarcastic voice._

_Ami lowered her eyes to the ground. She disliked seeing Rei like this. After all, it wasn't Haruka or Rei's choice to live on the streets or to live as orphans._

_Apparently Makoto was thinking the same thing._

"_You both aren't monsters," Her friend agreed. "I think you're both nice people. Perhaps a little strange, but when you think about it we all are to some degree."_

"_Well no duh, we all live on different planets."_

"_That is correct." Ami's voice became slightly bolder. She almost winced back in surprise when Rei's intense eyes fell on her, but she relaxed and continued on; there was no hostility towards her reflecting in them. "Yet that is precisely why Michiru is acting the way she is now."_

"_Like a snob?"_

"_Rei…"_

"_What?"_

"_Rei, if you haven't noticed, Michiru likes Haruka!" Rei blinked back dumbly at Makoto. The Martian opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. What could she say to something like that? "Actually, it was Ami who first pointed it out to me. But when I watched them, it really does seem like it. I really do think Michiru does like Haruka."_

"_Ami did?"_

"_Well, all the signs pointed to it," She replied in a scientific voice. "I suspect that Michiru is behaving the way she is now because romantic relationships between Gods and Goddesses with 'normal folk' are frowned upon. I truly doubt that her anger stems from what she wants you to believe."_

_Rei carefully digested this new information._

"_Well I still don't see the problem. Someday, Haruka's going to take over the throne of Uranus. When she does that, she'll become a Goddess you know." _

"_Yeah…" Makoto crossed her arms. "Yeah, I almost forgot all about that! And you know what? Michiru might've too! What do you guys think? Do you think we should go and tell her?"_

_Ami looked around her before she realized that she was the one being addressed. "W-Who? Me? You want me to tell Michiru?"_

"_Why not?"_

"_W-Well… I do think it may resolve a lot of tension between us…"_

"_Good enough! So let's go, I think I saw them head in this direction," Makoto began walking forward a few steps. "Oh, you're coming too, right Rei?"_

"_Why should I go?" There was some bitterness lacing her words._

"_Oh, nothing. I just thought you wouldn't want to leave Haruka alone with Michiru, that's all."_

_The comment hit its mark and Makoto knew it. As soon as the words had left her mouth, Rei bolted upright and sprinted off in the direction that Makoto had indicated._

"_What are you two standing around for? Let's get going!" The Martian shouted over her shoulder._

_**Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!**_

_While deep inside the palace, two sets of loud footsteps echoed throughout the long corridors. A voice cried out after the Princess of Neptune._

"_Michiru!"_

_The other girl hesitated for a moment in indecision before she looks over her shoulder. Her beautiful eyes were red from the earlier crying yet she couldn't help herself. She couldn't stop crying or running. In a sense of great urgency, she begged her legs to keep their pace; her blonde pursuer would surely catch her if she slowed any bit._

"_Michiru!"_

"_Stop chasing me Haruka!"_

'_Just stop chasing me…' She inwardly pleaded. Already her breaths were coming out in short pained gasps. The footsteps behind her were gaining._

_**Tup! Tup! Tup!**_

_In a great hurry, Michiru suddenly felt her feet catch in the fabric of her dress. The tangled predicament caused her knees to clip each other. Once or twice her balance waned as they fumbled desperately to keep from falling but she couldn't. Her hands released their tight holds on her dress's sides and the fabric fell, falling almost as quickly as she was._

"_Ah!"_

_**TUP!**_

_**THUD!**_

_Michiru waited for the crashing pain of the fall to take her. Yet when she felt nothing but softness beneath her, she curiously opened her surprised, aquamarine eyes. She let out a squeak when her soft cushion suddenly jerked away and rolled to her side. She couldn't help but stare. Short strands of blonde hair flew past her line of vision, catching her eye. Her gaze slowly turned to follow the glimmer of gold to its owner's face—flush, from the running or from embarrassment she couldn't tell. The awkward, child-like grin Haruka had plastered all over her face brought Michiru to silently wonder._

"_I--Uh…" Haruka's eyes darted everywhere but to Michiru's eyes. She gave a nervous laugh. "Oh darn, the cookie got crushed! I was going to give it to you, but I guess…" There was an awkward silence as Haruka's dark green eyes finally fell onto the floor._

_The blonde was struggling for words, a difficulty that she wasn't used to. Usually she took life as, 'whatever happens, happens" because brooding over something was a waste of time. Or was it? What if there was something or someone important? Well, anyhow, she had always thought that way; it was a way of life she had adapted back on the streets. But being an orphan and then suddenly becoming the heir of her planet, what had happened was still somewhat of a shock to her. When Michiru had said all of those hurtful things, although she never showed it like her friend did, they did sting quite a bit. _

"_I-- I'm sorry." Haruka finally replied flatly. She hated to admit her own faults, especially to the girl sitting in front of her._

_Michiru's tears had long stopped flowing, but their traces could still be seen on her delicate face. She almost couldn't believe what she had just heard. _

"_You're sorry?" She repeated in disbelief. A touch of anger sparked again in her weary body._

"_Yeah… I-I know you're angry about my past, but it's something that I can't help! You're angry that I'm not a Goddess right?" One look at Michiru's face confirmed her suspicions. "If that's all it is, then don't worry! When I-"_

"_Don't worry?!" The girl nearly yelled. "If you knew that much… All you have to say 'don't worry'? How can you say that so casually?"_

"_I'm not. I'm being serious..."_

_The lost playfulness in Haruka's voice slapped Michiru hard. Haruka's stern features strongly supported her claim._

"_When I'm strong enough, I'll take the throne from Uranus. I'll take it, and I'll become a Goddess! A real one! Then… then you won't have to cry anymore…"_

_Michiru was left speechless and weary from the swirl of emotions within her. Relief? Happiness? She couldn't say, although she knew what the blonde was talking about._

"_I think someone needs a hug." _

_Michiru was vaguely aware that she was in the blonde's arms or that Haruka was whispering something else into her ear. "I'll get strong real fast. I'll become a Goddess... and then, I'll come back for you."_

"_Haruka I-"_

_**Tup… tup… tup…**_

_Both girls froze at the sound of approaching footsteps. The heir of Uranus threw glances up and down the corridor, but no person or presence could be seen. The sudden tension in the atmosphere prompted Haruka to hold Michiru tighter than she ever had before. Her dark green eyes were narrowed and defensive. She didn't like this feeling at all; there was something unnatural and icy about the air._

_However, unlike Haruka, Michiru could sense this presence. How could she not?_

"_Mother...?" Across the corridor at the T intersection, the elder Neptune stepped into view. However, there was something strange about her mannerisms. She did not acknowledge them. She kept walking forward with her eyes concentrating on something hard, yet on something that no one could see. It was almost trance-like. _

"_Mother?" Michiru called again, but her words fell on deaf ears._

_Michiru tried to stand, to go to her mother and ask what was troubling her, but Haruka held her fast._

"_Don't!" She hissed. Michiru gave her a questioning gaze; Haruka's green eyes were burning with an intense fire, one that she'd never seen before._

_Following far behind the elder Neptune, Rei, Makoto and Ami peeked out from around the corner to make sure that they hadn't been spotted. Rei was acting strange and none of the two other girls could understand why. Why were they following the Goddess anyway?_

"_I-I don't think Michiru and Haruka are here…" Ami huddled closer to Makoto's side. The darkness of the halls frightened her; she had sensed the sudden shift in the ambience._

_Rei knew otherwise. "No, they were here." Her amethyst eyes locked onto the aquamarine and golden spiritual clouds on the floor. The fact that the two heirs were in such a place troubled her deeply, but she wouldn't allow it to show._

"_Are you sure?" Makoto asked with dark eyes; Jupiter's heir hadn't quite mastered her power of detection quite yet. She was well aware that she wasn't on the same level as the Martian in that aspect, but she did know that she was just as acutely aware to danger._

_**Ping!**_

"_Hear that?" Makoto's muscles tensed. Judging from the stillness in Rei's stance she knew the other girl had._

"_Someone's fighting."_

_The trio raced down the corridors, following the force that drew them. The air became heavier and stale, the temperature-kept rising, and the stench of danger exponentially grew with each step they took. Once or twice did the group have to stop for air and determine their next course of direction, but the break was never long as Rei would almost expertly find their invisible trail. The predicament was frightening, especially to the children barely in their teens. The force that beckoned to them all stirred a sense of fear for the unknown (more than once did Makoto have to coax her withdrawn blue-haired friend to continue with them). _

"_It's all right Ami. We're all right here. I'm here..." Makoto outstretched her hand. Beside Makoto, Rei nodded. _

_It was not the darkness itself that Makoto and Rei feared, but the possibility that if they left the smaller girl behind then she would be swallowed by that very darkness._

_Ami could see the strength and kindness that reached out to her, and without hesitation she took it._

"_I know…"_

_**Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!**_

_The trio hit a staircase moments later. It was the deepest in the palace that any of them had ever gone. Far below from where they stood they saw a mystical light dancing upon the floor, being emitted from the chamber in their direct line of vision. Just witnessing the sight made the girls' hearts leap inside their chests—this was it, the source they had been looking for. But why were their friends down there? _

"_It's down there," Rei confirmed her friends' suspicions._

_Without wasting time they all bolted down the spiralling steps and rushed the light. Rei was the first to vanish into the room, just as two piercing screams rang throughout the air._

"_MOTHER!"_

"_EYAAAAAAAAAAH!"_

_**FLASH!!**_

(Present, Rei's room, Palace of Mercury)

"_EYAAAAAAAAAAH!"_

Rei calmly opened her clouded eyes at the sound of the distant, echoing scream. She had heard it many times before, heard it repeat itself over and over again within the darkest realms of her soul. That scream had embedded itself into her memory; she could not rid herself of it. None of them could. None of them could forget what they saw that day, eight years ago.

"But first things first…" Rei gave a disheartened sigh. Although a piece of her rebelled strongly against the thought, she resolved to go through with it. _I have to find Minako… Ami and Makoto have already told her about me, but I don't know how that ditzy idiot is taking it. I don't want her going off and doing anything stupid now that she knows; I'm still responsible for her! _Her mind retorted. But a little voice within Rei, uncertain and timid, was asking, _'Will she be as angry as Michiru?'_

With her mind made up, Rei prepared another network of detection readings. This time she was going to locate the Princess of Venus.

(Lower basement of Mercury)

Further into the depths of the palace of Asta, down all the staircases and secret passages, lay a chamber. And in that chamber lay a monster--a being that has never slept or known the existence of daylight. It would restlessly make noise for hours on end, demanding attention and recognition. It became more demanding as time's fingers tickled across its gray skin, threatening to burn it. In response the beast would cry out in its own language, but not today. Unlike many days, today there was a purpose for it. Blindly it heeded its master's orders and turned its attention onto a small, dark haired girl. It was a child its senses told it. Crossing the first threshold of recognition, it continued along its way to learn what else it could about the strange life form.

"What does it say?" Makoto curiously asked Ami.

In front of the two women was a small, rectangular chamber, propped up parallel to them. Through the glass comprising its front, they could see Hotaru. Their visitor was sleeping peacefully, her face absent of any signs of discomfort or pain. Jupiter's ruler didn't know for the life of her of why they were doing a bio scan on the girl.

"The database isn't saying much." Ami replied slowly. "It confirmed our suspicions that Hotaru is a child, but as for her exact age, it seems that it cannot determine it. As far as it's concerned, Hotaru is just an ordinary, healthy, young girl."

"Hmm...No family, no home, and no past? But there's got to be something! She couldn't have just appeared out of nowhere."

Mercury's ruler was just as puzzled as her tall friend. For once in her life, her intellectual genius couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation for their dilemma and it terribly frustrated her. This was one problem that she _needed_ to solve! Any information may prove to be vital for later.

"I wouldn't say out of nowhere..." _But close enough, _Ami inwardly sighed.

"What do you mean? Didn't you just say that the computer couldn't find anything?"

"Rei mentioned it."

"She did?"

"Mhm." Makoto watched as Ami slowly turned to face her. She always felt a shock whenever she saw those blue eyes staring back at her. There was a clarity to them that almost appeared to be mysterious all at once.

"Right after you called, I received an urgent message from Rei. She told me that Haruka had found one half of the key."

"You're kidding! Are you trying to tell me, that this girl is....?" Makoto's green eyes trailed back to the sleeping child, wide in apprehension.

"Yes, that is correct. From the legend of the Sun Kingdom, there is a rumour that Apollo possessed the power of the 'key'. As the story describes it, it is a terrifying power, that if manipulated properly, it could potentially bring about the end of the solar system. Even Gods and Goddesses would not be spared if such a power was unleashed."

"Yet no one knew where this power was hidden, correct?" Makoto saw Ami nod. "Then how did Haruka know where to look? What does she know that we don't? And why would this 'power' be on Saturn? Hotaru is just a harmless, innocent girl, right? Right…? Ah, this is making my head hurt!"

Ami silently watched Jupiter grimace as she tried to make sense of it all.

"But there's nothing on Saturn. There's nothing there but purple fog. How can Haruka possibly say that she found Hotaru there…?"

_Hotaru is from Saturn? _Behind the two women, hidden in the shadows, a pair of blue eyes blinked. Minako had hidden herself well behind the wall of machinery. _I wanted to ask them more about Rei, but when they started getting all serious… it was just plain scary._ The blonde tried shifting her weight to get a better look at the two people. _What could be so important about Hotaru? What are they planning?_

_**Ping!**_

Makoto suddenly flinched and whirled around in Minako's direction. An expression of comprehension washed over her normally relaxed face.

"Minako?" Minako froze. _Oh no, they've sensed me? W-What should I do? _She panicked. What would Ami and Makoto do once they realized she had been eavesdropping on them? Already a row of excuses whizzed through in her head. _I-I didn't mean to! I just wanted to ask more about Rei, honestly! _She practiced in her mind like she was cramming for a school test. It was the honest truth after all, but the fear of not being believed was overwhelming. Already she could feel the two pairs of eyes piercing through her with their intense gazes.

_Someone…_ She saw Ami's eyes turn in her direction as well. Her anxiety increased as did her heartbeat. When Makoto took a few steps in her direction, Minako's blue eyes squeezed shut.

"Makoto!" A voice rang out.

Minako saw Rei's form enter the room, just to the side of where she had hidden herself. For a second, the blonde thought she saw those amethyst eyes flick towards her direction.

"R-Rei?" Makoto's startled eyes flew to the raven-haired figure. Ami's as well. Neither of the two women expected the Martian to make an appearance so soon. When Rei was in a bad mood she tended to meditate until she was called upon. "I…ah, so it was you? What a surprise! How are you feeling? Do you feel better after having a rest?"

"Mm." Rei gave a slight nod.

"That's wonderful news," Ami smiled warmly, already having recovered from her earlier shock. "Makoto and myself were just discussing matters relating with Hotaru's bio-scan."

_So she knows about Hotaru now... good. _Rei felt relieved that she wouldn't have to explain it all over again. Once was enough for her; she didn't have all the answers to the questions that would surely be asked of her. It was mentally exhausting just thinking about it.

"Well…" Jupiter started. "Apparently Ami's computer can't decipher anything out of the ordinary about Hotaru."

"Are you sure? It really found nothing?" Rei frowned. She knew that Haruka would never joke about something as serious as this.

"Yes, but it's still too early to conclude anything," Ami reminded her two friends.

"Hmm..."

"Actually, this might be good." Makoto suddenly spoke up. All eyes were on her now. "If no one is busy with anything that is... As you mentioned earlier Rei, I did have business with Mercury. But that might include you too now, I mean, since you're already here. I need help." She finally admitted with clenched fists. Her troubled green eyes grew stormy and wild with mixed emotions.

The air grew heavy as soon as those words left Makoto's mouth. Her two friends could hardly believe what they had just heard; Makoto, like Rei and Haruka, often fought her struggles on her own terms. That was how the three of them were raised, to believe in their own strength without having to rely on others. Their planets were prideful in that aspect. Yet even if that were not the case, a leader who cannot fix any problems on their own wouldn't be considered a leader at all.

"Help…?" Rei said once she regained her serious composure. _But what could it be?_

"It's all right Makoto. Please tell us what's bothering you. I am sure both Rei and I will be more than glad to assist you in whatever way we can," Ami encouraged. Rei crossed her arms, but nodded in agreement.

_You guys…_ Makoto could feel some of that heavy burden upon her shoulders lift instantly. Suddenly she no longer felt ashamed or inferior. _I really missed this. _She realized.

With a deep breath she began her tale.

"As you both already know, Jupiter has a problem with storms. But with help from Mercury we were able to build a system to control these storms. Recently though, these storms have been gaining tremendous power! Honestly, I didn't think much of them at first. It's not unusual to get a strong storm here or there. But... when they just kept on getting stronger… Anyway, I suspected that there might be a fault in the system so I sent a team of soldiers and scientists to inspect it. But..."

Her voice trailed off.

"...But?"

Makoto bit her lip. "They--they never came back. So then I went to investigate instead. I managed to find the place easily enough, but when I tried to approach the main controller I was repelled by an invisible force! It's like there's some kind of barrier around it. I know it sounds really strange, and even I don't know why it's like that, but I've tried just about everything I could. I just can't get near the darn thing. I'm just... I'm really worried. If something isn't done soon, a very powerful storm could potentially destroy my people! That's why, I need help…"

"None of the others know about this…?" Ami inquired gently.

Makoto shook her head. "I tried but I couldn't get a hold of them."

"Then we'll help you." Rei promised. She already knew what was going through Mercury's mind. The other ruler had already made up her mind to help Makoto, no matter what the problem was. And although the Martian felt a twinge of bitterness that her friends revealed her secret to Minako without her permission, she wasn't about to let something so pity prevent her from helping her childhood friend in her time of need. They were in this together.

"Do you mean that?" There was a hopeful note in Makoto's voice.

Behind the group, Minako was looking just as surprised as the ruler of Jupiter.

…_Rei? _The blonde questioned. She had never seen this side to Rei before.

"Yeah, but make no mistake. I'm still pissed at you for keeping this to yourself for so long Makoto! If you have a problem like that, then you should've just told us! It doesn't do anyone any good if you go off hurting yourself for nothing!"

"Uh…" _Haha, and you're the one telling me this…? _"I'll keep it in mind." Makoto finally replied.

"We'll leave immediately," Ami nodded. "The trip itself will take some time. Therefore, the sooner we leave the faster we can fix this problem."

"Thank you, both of you…"

"Never mind that," Rei waved off the thanks. "Ami, could you set us up the transportation? Oh, and take Makoto with you. I'll stay here and tend to Hotaru."

"Are you sure?" The genius wondered. Did Rei even know how to operate the computer system?

"Yes, I'm sure. Once I'm done I'll go and tell Minako about our plans as well." Behind her the two Goddesses exchanged knowing glances. Rei didn't know it, but the two women had already suppressed their auras and had quietly tip-toed away.

"I don't know if she would want to come along or not. Maybe she'll stay here or maybe we can drop her and Nozomi off on Mars on our way to Jupiter. Now that I think about it that might be for the best. If she wants to go home, she can easily catch a shuttle from there."

"No way, I'm coming!"

Rei whirled on the spot to see herself being boldly confronted by the Venusian. She knew where the blonde had been hiding, but she hadn't expected Ami and Makoto to ditch her so quickly!

"Excuse me?" The Martian couldn't deny that she was surprised by this response. Did Minako forget what she was…?

"I said... I'm coming along." The blonde's gaze softened when she saw Rei's quizzical look. She knew what Rei had expected—that she would see the woman as inferior or as something disgusting.

_But_ _as psychic as Rei is, she can't read my heart..._

"I admit I was a bit shocked when I first found out…" Minako started carefully. She took careful note of Rei's reaction as she slowly said this- she was stiff and on the defensive. "But I don't care," Rei's stance faltered again. "Learning this information doesn't change who you are. You're still you, silly. If anything, I'm the one who's changed."

"W-What are you talking about?!" Rei sputtered as she turned away, looking slightly red faced and embarrassed. She felt confused all over again. One part of her wished Minako had been like Michiru, to really be someone who would turn her off completely. And yet here she was, acting like nothing had changed. How could she be so accepting?

Unperturbed by the silence, Minako walked up beside Rei and hesitatingly took her hand in hers. At first Rei tensed at the contact, but her mind was quickly preoccupied with other thoughts when Minako's soft lips found her cheek.

"Wha--"

_**Kiss**_

"Thank you for covering for me earlier."

_Uhh…_

"Stop talking nonsense! I never did anything!"

Rei pivoted on the spot and marched over to the computer's main panel without realizing that she was still holding Minako's hand. She also didn't notice the happy smile on the blonde's face.

Minako truly wondered how much longer Rei could remain 'lucky'.

_As long as it takes… _She told herself.

**

* * *

**

**Next in HFD Ch. 8: Premonition Drifter**

**The group has finally arrived on Jupiter, but their investigation made a turn for the worst at the last minute.**

"**Ami! What are you doing?" Makoto gasped out. But all Ami did was glare up at the taller girl with dark, clouded eyes.**

"_**Gods fighting Gods…? Arenas, meetings, stories, what part of it is real? I don't understand any of this…"**_


	8. Premonition Drifter

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sailor Moon

**A/N:** Finals are coming up soon, so the next update might not be for awhile. (Once again, not every spelling mistake may be caught).

_**

* * *

**_

"Stop talking nonsense! I never did anything!"

Rei pivoted on the spot and marched over to the computer controls, being oblivious to the fact that she was still holding Minako's hand. As a result, she received quite the surprise when she tried to input the instructions into the machinery. Her hand seemed to be caught on something? Now Rei knew that clothing could sometimes get caught on the edges of machinery, but a HAND?

If the giggle behind her was any indication...

_AHH!_ _For--_ Rei slapped her forehead with her free hand as a string of mental curses burst forth into the form of a dark thought cloud. She didn't need to think twice about her next plan of action. Impulsively, with the blood rushing to her cheeks, she turned around and yanked her hand right out of Minako's grasp! Or well, it had been a good attempt.

"Wha—Hey, let go!"

Minako cutely smiled back. "Let go of what?" She feigned a thoughtful expression. Her free hand came up to cup her chin like a detective would on a case. Rei was growing increasingly irritated by the way Minako would mutter, "Mhm mhm…" over an answer they both already knew. (Once or twice the idea of trying to pull from the blonde's grasp flitted through the warrior's mind, but the reddening mark on her wrist was clearing indicating that the 'death grip' was currently being in use).

"W-What are you, blind? This thing! _My_ hand!" Rei pointed to their clasped limbs. She was becoming more and more self-conscious of their situation as time passed, and Minako noticed this. In fact, the blonde had a good enough mind to enjoy it.

"Your hand…?"

"Yes!"

"But what if I don't want to let it go?"

Rei nearly fell over. "WHAT?" _No! You have to!_

"If you didn't come around when you did, I would've been found out. So therefoooore, I should just stay with you ALL the time." Minako almost snorted when she saw the look of absolute horror staring back at her. The terrifying warrior of fire, whose mere presence was enough to make grown men nearly piss their pants in fear, was caught speechless over the prospect of spending time with another woman. What was this world coming to?

_I-It's too much…_ Minako's cerulean eyes began to tear up from laughter. She couldn't help herself! Although it was probably a good idea to find a way to stop soon, because Rei was looking positively murderous— the flare of red aura around the dark haired woman was almost intimidating. Any sane person would have shut up instantly, and then fall to their knees and beseech the offended woman for some kind of mercy. The blonde might have if only the sight didn't remind her of the bonfires they had back on Venus.

_Wow, what a flamer. Where are the marshmallows when you need them?_ Minako broke into another fit of laughter.

"Min-a-ko…" Rei growled.

"Okay, okay! Chill! Truce!" Minako barely coughed out as the giggles subsided. "But seriously Rei, don't think you're getting off the hook that easily. There's a price."

"Eh?"

"Well yeah, just for touching someone as great as myself!" Rei sweat dropped as Minako stared into her face, trying to look very serious. In all honestly, the soldier couldn't tell whether her companion was truly being serious or not. But she did know that this ditz wanted something, and it couldn't be a good thing if it was Minako making the request.

_How did we end up holding hands anyway? _Her hand was becoming clammy and it was rather uncomfortable.

"Well, make it quick, I have to prepare for our trip too! Jupiter isn't an easy going place Princess." The Martian snapped, making sure to articulate the title 'princess'.  
This didn't faze Minako at all though.

First the blonde woman coughed delicately into her free hand as if to clear her throat, and then she took in a deep breath and then another after that. If she didn't know better, Minako was prepping herself to do yoga or something peace-loving like that.

"Just get on with it!"

"Okay. TEACH-ME-HOW-TO-DO-THAT-SENSING-THING!"

It had been twice now that Rei had nearly fallen over.

"Wait, you mean that you can't do that either?" She dropped all pretence of expecting anything and looked just positively disappointed. In turn Minako narrowed her eyes and squeezed her hand forcefully, earning an exclamation of surprise from her 'prisoner'. "OuuuuuUUUCH! WhY yoooou… You know, and here I thought Goddesses could do anything," Rei muttered sarcastically under her breath. If her nerves hadn't been rendered numb in the last attack, she would've attempted a counter offensive.

_Just talk a little louder Rei, and maybe I wouldn't hear you._ Minako squeezed Rei's hand again.

**Crunch!**

"Gah!" _Someday…! I'm going to get her, but good!_

"But I'm serious Rei."

"No."

There was an awkward pause.

"No? But WHY NOOOOOOT?" Minako broke out the pleading puppy dog eyes. She was sure that this was Rei's revenge for a split second ago. With enough pleading, the other woman would surely cave in.

Or not.

"Spare me the water works. The answer is still no," Rei remarked. The expression in her eyes gave no room for relenting to the blonde's request. "If you haven't done it, even once, after all of these years... then don't bother. Ami, Makoto and even myself, we were all taught the technique when we were children. Hey, stop it with the faces! I'm serious! Listen. If you waited this late to try it, especially when you have to deal with all sorts of responsibilities now, it's just plain dangerous! How can I make it any clearer to you? The risks that are associated with learning the spell grows as you age!"

"They grow with time…? But—I'm not that old!" Minako protested.

"You don't even know what you're talking about!" Rei countered immediately. "Why in the name of Mars do you want to learn something like that now, anyway? If you don't go noising into other people's businesses in the first place, then you wouldn't have to worry about being caught! It's as simple as that! Just drop it already..."

The comment had hit its mark.

"T-That's true… but that wasn't the reason why I wanted to learn." Minako admitted reluctantly. "When we lost Hotaru in the crowd earlier, you knew exactly where she was! You used that detecting technique right?"

"…So you want to be a better babysitter?" Rei crossed her one arm over her chest as best as she could.

"No! Argh…" Minako tried her best not to let her frustration show, but Rei was being extremely difficult. The blonde wondered how she could convey what was on her mind without being too emotional or blunt. It was just one of those rare times where she couldn't be as straightforward as she would have liked to be.

_I thought I got over this already! _Minako scolded herself. For a moment she bit her bottom lip, and watched Rei raise an eyebrow at this. _Why is everything so hard? It shouldn't be like this! …Should it? _

"That's not what I'm saying at all. I-- I mean… if I lost yo—erm, I mean... what if we got separated somehow? How else would I be able to find you?"

_What if I need you, but I can't find you?_ Minako could almost see Rei's form turning her back to her in her mind's eye.

Unconsciously the Venusian finally released her grip on Rei, and allowed her own hands to fall limply to her sides. Rei, herself, almost didn't notice her newly gained freedom either.

"…I'm sorry, but I still can't teach you." Rei finally replied. "It's for your own good."

She knew that the woman would be disappointed, but she hadn't expected to see such a defeated, pained expression on her face. The Commander sought for something to say, but she was cut off when something unexpected demanded her utmost attention.

Minako was rigid. She could only watch as Rei's back-turned image disappeared into the darkness, away from view, without her. She felt cold and distant somehow. Despite her companion's considerate warnings, it didn't deter her yearning to learn one bit.

_So, I can't learn because I'm too old...? _It may have seemed like a minor detail to the Martian leader, but the comment had hit closer than she was aware.

_But... if I were given the chance, I would be able to master it, right? Even for someone like me... _

It felt like she was staring at a dead end. What could she do if she wasn't even given the opportunity to learn?

Minako was startled when a warm hand suddenly rested upon her shoulder. Slowly she turned her head towards the warm glow of light. Pieces of Rei's aura had spread away from her hand and seeped into Minako's body. Almost instantly Minako felt warm again, 'human' almost. The term itself brought a twinge of what, bitter jealously? If she had held onto that, the blonde's lips may have curled up into a weak, sad smile. However, as soon as she had felt it the sensation was gone. The red aura, no, Rei's life-force, was melting away the cold.

_It's doing something to me…_ She vaguely realized. Deep inside, something was changing.

"Rei…? What are you doing?" She calmly asked her. When her cerulean eyes met amethyst, Minako saw that those mysterious, dark eyes conveyed no obvious emotion. There was no apparent anger or annoyance, but rather a strange thoughtfulness that made her shudder. She was suddenly afraid. What did Rei see?

"You really are too persistent for your own good." Rei's eyes seemed to glow for a split second, but as soon as Minako thought she'd seen it the light had already faded. The red aura from Rei's hand then ceased to pulse. Even after she removed her hand, there was a strange, lingering sensation that still seemed to envelop her.

"Why don't you try to have more confidence?"

"Confidence?" Minako mouthed as the other woman activated the controls to release Hotaru. "What do you mean? Do you mean in me or--"

Rei waited silently as Hotaru's containment glass slide up. There was an immediate release of fog-like mist- it hung briefly in the air and emitted a dim, light blue glow from the sparkling, blue powder in its contents. The yellow coloured suspension fluid within the container gushed out onto the floor as the machine initiated the release of the second restraint. Gears began to rotate all around the trio. It started at one end of the room, before flying to the other side directly behind Rei. An odd series of lights had momentarily caught Minako's eye, but Rei ignored it; the Martian was keeping a close eye on the results from the completed data analysis. There was a series of brightly flashing windows on her left, before the data compiled and downloaded into a file save. Only once the mechanical beast had released all of its restraints did the raven-haired woman move to pick up and cradle Hotaru in her arms. The spare sweater from Rei's back was more than enough to cover up the child in her arms.

"Rei…?"

When their eyes finally met again, Minako suddenly understood.

_Ah. Did you mean, to have more confidence in you?_

"Ami and Makoto should be done their preparations shortly," The Martian instructed as she crossed the room to the exit. Not once did she make eye contact with Minako. "Once they're ready to go, we'll depart. So try to take it easy until then. The trip may turn out to be much more difficult than you have ever experienced."

"Eh? But w-why's that?"

Rei merely ignored the question and walked out of the room, leaving Minako in suspense.

"Huh? Hey! Don't ignore me!" Minako pouted. "Jeez, what was that about? A shuttle trip is the same no matter where you go, right? Sure it might be longer but--"

**…****Ping…**

_Huh?_

Minako froze. Perhaps it had been her imagination, but she could've just sworn that she heard something.

(Outside of Hotaru's Room, Upstairs in a main corridor)

When Rei arrived at the younger girl's room, she found Ami and Makoto already waiting for her.

"The preparations are ready." Makoto reported with a raised arm gesture. Ami nodded beside her.

"We are ready to depart whenever you are," Mercury's ruler informed. Briefly her eyes fell onto the sleeping girl in Rei's arms. She didn't want it to appear too obvious, but she was secretly relieved that her friend hadn't messed up with the computer's controls. From past experiences, sometimes the Martian was too much like Haruka—impulsive personalities destroy alike.

"Good. Then once Minako is ready, we'll go." Rei assured them both.

"..."

_Umm..._

Although the woman was just outside her destination, she didn't make any attempt to enter it. She wasn't fond of the hard, curious stares that she was receiving from her friends. Why were they giving her that look? Did she grow a second head, or did Hotaru just drool all over her and she didn't notice?

"I'm fine!" Rei snapped when a portion of her aura flared out and clashed with Ami's probing strand. "You really two really shouldn't worry so much. I may be human, but I'm not a weakling."

_How many times do I have to tell them this?_ As nice as it was that they cared about her, it also served as an unneeded reminder of her own mortality.

The light in Ami's azure eyes swirled slightly before she gave a tiny, reluctant sigh. Surprise tests really did seem to be the only way to check if Rei was all right.

"I apologize. I was just wondering if something was troubling you. Your power levels have decreased somewhat since we last saw you."

"…"

_So that's what you did…_ Makoto quietly thought to herself. Her eyes carried a slightly distant expression to them.

Rei was unaware of this but Makoto's aura had fallen through the floor towards the basement during that brief distraction from Ami. Because of this, the tall woman had easily located the blonde and had also discovered something else that had struck her as strange.

"So where's Minako? You didn't leave her by herself in the basement, did you?"

"You should already know the answer to that." Rei countered crossly. Unfortunately for the ruler of Jupiter, Makoto hadn't quite covered her spiritual trail fast enough to hide it from her friend. "And I'm sure you know all about it. You don't have to pretend. Unlike us, we all learned how to use the ability when we were young. Forcing it to work now with someone like her could cause dire consequences. We still don't know anything about her past."

"You didn't answer the question, Rei…"

"Well I can't help her with everything. There are just some things that she needs to learn on her own. If you make choices, then you have to live with the consequences."

Makoto silently glanced down at Ami. Despite Rei's philosophy of self survival, they both had an inkling that something else was up.

"But still… if her claimed heritage is true, then you cannot suppress it Rei." Ami pointed out. Rei felt a jolt through her system at those words. Exactly how much did they know? "If she wishes for it to awaken badly enough, it will eventually emerge on its own."

"I know that! You don't have to remind me..." Rei sunk into a blank, expressionless state. Both of her friends knew the sign well.

"Are you worried about her?" Makoto gently asked. The taller woman tentatively placed a hand on Rei's shoulder, feeling the muscles already tense.

_She must be…_ Jupiter realized. _Or why else did Rei donate a portion of her power to create that shield?_

(Basement)

**…**_**Ping…**_

_There it is again…_

Vaguely she had been aware, aware of the moment when she had released Rei's hand or when the dark haired woman had scowled at her while she was caught up in a giggling fit. Everything in the room slowly faded away in her vision and was being replaced by a series of images. The scenes seemed to move backwards in slow motion, yet move forward at the same time. Each and every time that Minako watched a scene replay itself she would notice something new. So rapt was her attention on the slides that nothing else really seemed to matter right then.

As the room faded, the Venusian's sense of conscious was slowly drifting away from reality; a feeling of light headedness assaulted her mind, but she didn't put up any resistance against it. Instead, she wholly embraced the giddy sensation.

_Why DID I hold Rei's hand for so long?_

_Does her right eyebrow really twitch like that whenever she's angry?_

_For a moment there, I thought I saw the corner of her lips push up to smil—oh, wait, never mind. She's yelling at me again…_

_**Tup… tup… tup…**_

The images flickered briefly before a new one took its place. Minako was now staring at the point where she told Rei that things were going to be all right. Now that she had a better look at the paused picture of it, she could clearly make out the foreign expression in Rei's eyes. There was such an infuriating anxiety in them, a confusion that almost pleaded_, _

'_How can you understand what it's like?'_

'_How can you be so accepting?'_

The blonde had suspected just as much. The image had only confirmed her suspicion. While their hands were joined Minako had felt it-- surges of emotion from the other woman-- flickers of light that would suddenly flare up and then burn out.

_How can I understand…?_

_Because...I just do._

_**Ping!**_

(Upstairs)

"The ability is not only used to detect a person or an object, but it can also awaken the ability to see premonitions. Whether these premonitions depict the past or the future... that is undecided by the inexperienced." Ami slowly recalled. "Through the usage of the technique we can find one another by tracing the spiritual energy or spiritual trail. It is essentially extending one's consciousness into a separate dimension that overlaps our very own. But... if the user's spirit is clouded by unresolved issues, then that power…"

"…could very well swallow their very being." Makoto continued.

"That it is why the technique should be mastered when one is still an innocent child." Rei finished. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she held Hotaru tighter to her chest.

_When I tried to find something to say to her, I suddenly felt it. This sort of power... It was deep down, and I couldn't properly assess it, but it was definitely stirring. Even if she wanted to learn how to use it, I couldn't show her. It's too dangerous. The worst thing you can do is to provoke abilities into awakening in that state of mind. When you become too anxious, you become reckless. And it's that sort of recklessness that can get you killed. _

_It's not the tracking that worried me. It's the premonitions._

They all knew that there wasn't much else that any of them could do.

_Now, we wait._

(Basement)

Minako blinked. When the slide in front of her should have swapped out for another, it flipped halfway before it froze. Before she could comprehend what was happening the film of images abruptly rewound and then burst out all at once. They snapped at the edges, becoming like loose playing cards that distorted and blurred into one another until they dissipated into nothing-- until only utter darkness remained.

_Where am I? Wasn't I in the basement? Where... is this place?_

_What's happening?_

For a split second, she thought she heard something in the distance. Minako strained to listen as the questions continued to bombard her mind. _What was that?_ _What's going on…? Why is it so cold?_ She suppressed a squeak when a blast of cold air ripped through the darkness and hit her. If she wasn't so busy hugging herself for warmth she would have clamped her hands tightly over her ears. The wind shrilled with an eerie, inhuman howl, like it was possessed. Nothing could have prepared Minako for this. She was forced to endure this nightmare alone as her entire body trembled against the prickling, slivers of ice.

_**Bam!**_

"AH!"

Her hand flew to her chest. Her heart- it was racing. Fast. So fast!

_**Lubb dubb. Lubb dubb. Lubb dubb! Lubb dubb!  
**__  
That sounded like a door slamming, and… _Her heart caught itself in her throat when her ears caught another series of sounds springing to life within the dark void. It sounded like slithering-- a clacking of metal.

_**Ping!**_

From the corner of her eye she thought she glimpsed some movement."What?"_ What is…? _The pupils of her eyes contracted when something shot past her face. In vain she tried to run away, to make distance between herself and the 'thing'. But as she fumbled back in surprise, she was forced to reconsider her direction of choice. Something frustratingly quick had nicked the back of her heels.

"Ah!" Startled, Minako jumped back forward amongst the noise to reassess her situation. That was when everything else came into view.

_Ah… ah…_

_**Lubb dubb. Lubb dubb! Lubb dubb!**_

It suddenly dawned on her- a crushing realization, an absolute fact of truth that was enough to drive most people insane. She swallowed hard. Escape had never an option; she was always, completely and utterly surrounded by an enormous mass of chains. They slivered in circles around her, designating her as the untouched center of their rotating masses. Without even looking up, the woman could detect the metal entities up there as well; the sounds that they made were distinct, and she couldn't possibly miss the occasional glint of light that lit the dark sky above every now and then. Minako knew that she was effectively cornered. She knew that she was trapped. And like the images in her memory, she was frozen. Frozen in fear.

_**DOOOOOOOM!**_

_R-Rei… _Minako tried to call out the woman's name, yet the word would not leave her lips. It was as if the name refused to be uttered in an act of cowardice._ W-What am I going to do? Am I going to…?_

Already she could hear echoes of her own cruel words coming back to haunt her: _'Goddesses can't die' _Die from old age, never. But when she had realized Rei's situation…

_I never knew. I didn't mean to, I just never knew... I-I never knew! _She felt herself confess. Confess? But to who? In her disorientated state, Minako didn't have time to pause and ask herself, 'where had these emotions come from so suddenly?' Somehow, inside, it felt like a switch had been turned on and the floodgates had been opened. Everything in her mind spun about. Images, all the ones of recent events and of her past came back in greater intensity than ever before. But how could it be? Didn't she lock them away within herself?

_**Bam!**_

The sound of the slamming door echoed throughout the darkness once again, heightening her pains of anxiety. Above in the darkness, a flash of light broke through momentarily. In response to this, the chains clacked harder and sped up within their orbits.

_I see. My words must have really hurt her... _That sort of pain, she clutched the cloth of her shirt directly over her heart as though she felt the pain herself.

"Agh!" Minako gasped when her head suddenly throbbed. She almost swore that the chains were creeping in on her.

_**Ping!**_

_**Rmm…rmm…rmm…**_

_The chains… they're glowing? _In a brilliant flash of golden light, a scream louder than Minako's own took center stage.

"_MOTHER!"_

"_EYAAAAAAAAAAH!"_

_**FLARE!**_

A wall of blue fire obscured Minako's vision. Through her squinted eyes, the blonde could barely make out two figures inside that wall. There was no time to ponder who they were or what they were doing though- her body had decided on its own to find out first hand.

By the magnetic force that seemed to beckon her, Minako felt her body being pulled closer and closer towards the fire. The entity danced and spat rudely, portraying itself to be real, yet it was only an illusion wasn't it? But as the intensity of the heat increased with the closing distance, Minako's hollow eyes lost their glassy expression-- the dangerous heat had stirred her senses back to life and, in turn, had also awakened her sense of logical reasoning.

_It's so hot! _She gasped, finding herself in a very undesirable location, and tried to struggle against the invisible force.

_I-- I can't stop! Somebody, help!_

She was within an arm reach and nearly tripped into the fire when there was an eruption of crimson light. Red threads flashed across her path, drawing horizontally and vertically until they all connected and formed a barrier type net.

_That aura!_

"AHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

_**Lubb dubb… lubb dubb… lubb dubb…**_

Minako's eyes fluttered open, finding her vision blurred and unfocused. Vaguely the woman knew that she was back in the mechanical room, lying sprawled on the hard, tiled floor.

_It's gone. _Despite her heavy breaths, she managed to spare enough energy to sigh in extreme relief. Everything was gone, everything except the lingering traces of the emotions she had felt. She doubted if she could ever rid herself of them completely, especially the sound of a slamming door and those screams.

"A blue wall of fire…" Minako muttered to herself. At the mention of the words, her eyes took on a darker shade. She recalled seeing people within the flames, and she couldn't help but thought that they looked familiar. Even stranger, she was feeling oddly detached from things. Was she simply feeling cold? No, that wasn't quite it. It was as if she partially watching her body from the outside looking in, as if she wasn't entirely there. Oh, what did it matter? Somewhere she knew that she had to find Rei. They were all going to go on a trip soon, weren't they?

_The others must be waiting for me..._

With that, the woman gathered up with what little strength she could muster and pushed herself to her feet. As she did so, she continued to whisper in short breaths as she made her way towards the stairs.

"Screams… fire… blue…" Nope, none of it was clicking. The words continued to spiral into a continuous cycle of confusion. "Chains… darkness… door… Door? Slamming… slamming…"

Ah, there we go. Something clicked. The phrase caught itself within her mind.

When Minako finally made it upstairs and reached her room, she never realized that someone had been waiting for her. With a serious expression, the Martian Commander patiently waited for the blonde to reach her. The lack of surprise in her amethyst eyes betrayed her lack of ignorance to the issue. She knew what had happened, and had expected it. Now all that was left was to fix the problem at hand.

"Door… slamming… cold…"  
_  
_Rei carefully approached Minako and then with both hands, reached around the other woman's head and drew them close until their foreheads touched. Minako didn't respond but continued on muttering the useless cycle of words.

"Just give me a minute." Rei whispered. She wasn't sure if she was saying this for her own sake or for Minako's, but it had a soothing effect.

Rei then took a deep breath and cleared her mind, focusing only on Minako. She needed to find that entry point, that one wavelength or link between them. Only then could she enter her companion's mind without risking harm to either herself or Minako.

Not long after Rei closed her eyes in concentration, she had found it. It was a red thread, a left over portion from the power she had initially stored within the woman. Although it appeared to be useless now, having done its task, she kept to it. It was a trail that led back inside.

The Martian then released a newer portion of her power as she had earlier and allowed it to seep into the woman before her, following the lighted pathway.

At first, as Rei allowed her consciousness to tract through the new threads until all she could see was darkness. But as she ventured further she immediately encountered what she was looking for; the remains of her barrier. The shattered pieces of threads were floating randomly in the void of space, showing blunt evidence that it had been pierced by some great force. Whatever that force may be, however, Rei couldn't say. This was no time for pondering anyhow. The dark-haired warrior chose to focus on the task at hand rather than wrestling with the 'what ifs'. She could sense Minako's presence was further inside, beyond the barrier. It was possible that her consciousness may have been tangled up in a few of the loose strands when she tried to return to her body.

Carefully, Rei then plucked the closest strands beside her. At first contact the thing sparked, but Rei showed no signs of discomfort. The woman instead wrapped the thread into a loop around her hand, and with that hand she held it up into the air. For a moment nothing happened. But as soon as Rei injected another shot of her aura back into the faded piece, the strand began to glow again. Like wildfire, the other disconnected threads in the space resonated with the leader and burnt like a brilliant fire once more before they all promptly converged towards the held strand. An explosion of color erupted in the space and then they all disappeared back into their owner.

_I'll need to re-make this barrier later… _Rei noted to herself as she felt her power return to her.

Only once the process was complete did she feel her consciousness begin to pull away. The reaction was instantaneous. Outside where their physical bodies were, Minako was beginning to stir slightly. But that was fine. She wasn't interested in lingering in this place longer than necessary.

"_There's no need to hurry," _Rei assured the unconscious woman, her own voice echoing as she exited._ "I'll be here when you wake up…"_

_(Minako…)_

"_I'll be here when you wake up…"_

Minako could vaguely remember hearing a voice calling to her as she slept. She wasn't quite sure where she was now, but it wasn't cold or scary. It was dark but there was also great warmth in it unlike earlier. As she listened, she made out the distinct sounds of a heartbeat. Now that she thought about it, there was more than one. Four others perhaps...? If the woman could, she would have been frowning right now. There was a red light, a green light, and a blue light, but there were more in the distance. She tried to hone onto the presences but there was a lot of background noise interrupting her concentration.

"_You mustn't use that power! Think about what you're doing!"_

"… _If only there was a way that I could repent for my sins…"_

_Someone's sad. _Minako realized. Their words, their sad emotions, they echoed with such clarity and yet, at the same time, they felt so very distant.

The Princess of Venus felt herself drifting for what seemed like an eternity until she encountered another presence. Someone else was here.

"_Oh, why hello there..." _A gentle voice called out to her. To Minako it sounded like the voice belonged to a young woman like herself, though the owner seemed to possess a higher degree of maturity. The diplomat felt her thoughts abruptly cut off when the new warmth wrapped itself around her. The emotion in it was curious. _"Are you lost little one?"_

Minako wasn't sure if she was nodding, but she answered as best as she could.

"_I-I think so…? Who are you?"_

The mysterious voice giggled._ Are they laughing at me? _Minako thought wearily. If this was a dream then she was going to be even more tired when she woke up.

_Should I trust them? I don't know who they are, but...something inside is telling me that it's all right. It's strange, isn't it?_

"_Who are you?" _Minako asked again.

"_Do not worry… we will meet sooner than you think." _Minako blinked when a flash of aquamarine aura blinded her vision.

_**Flash!**_

"_That way, do you see it? They are waiting for you." _Along with the new aura, Minako could suddenly detect the other lights now. They almost all formed a bright road, creating a pathway to safety.

"_Yes. Yes, I do! Thank you!"_

Minako remembered hearing the voice giggle again before a bright light broke through the area and she awoke.

**FLASH!**

_(Much later…)_

Minako awoke with a start. She had remembered a blinding flash of light before she finally made it out of the darkness, but the only bright light she could see now was the sunlight flooding in through the windows.

Wait, windows?

The blonde was taken aback at her new surroundings. All around her was an odd looking material. She held her hand out to touch the wall closest to her. Unlike the marble that made up the palaces, or the cement that built the Martian homes, or even the mechanical structure that helped build Mercury's cities, this material was long, dry and somewhat brittle; it would easily snap in her hands if she were to bend it. And what a strange color it was! It was pale yellow.

Minako then noticed that this material covered nearly the entire shelter. It rose from the dirt-covered floor to the ceiling above. But other than that, there was little else in terms of decoration pardon for a coconut rug or the small desk in the far corner across from where she sat.

"Where am I?" She asked herself. If she died, this wasn't what she would exactly call 'Heaven'.

The woman hadn't to wait long before Rei entered the hut. Finally! A familiar face!

"It's called straw," She informed her.

Well all right, maybe not the most sensitive person to meet as soon as you wake up in an unfamiliar territory but Minako wasn't about to complain.

"It's you!" Minako cried out. She quickly coughed in an attempt to conceal her excitement. "Ahem. Where have you been? And where _are_ we?" She wildly gestured with her arms.

"We're on Jupiter."

"Oh. WHAT? Already?"

_Slow reaction much? _"You've been out for awhile." Rei shrugged. "I warned you that using that technique might have some consequences." _But noooo, you didn't want to listen._ "You were lucky that you were only knocked out."

"Huh?" Minako gave Rei the dumb 'what the hell are you talking about look'.

"Are you really that clueless? Okay, it's like this. You 'wished' to awaken that stupid power and it happened. But you barely got out of it alive," Rei stressed the last part. She didn't need Minako going off and trying that stunt again anytime soon. Whatever had broken her barrier still pricked at the back of the woman's mind; either the opposing force was incredibly burdening or it resonated with the barrier itself and shattered it.

"Oh, don't you worry! I won't be doing that again anytime soon." Minako quickly assured her. "I think... I should have done what you advised me to do. I should've just trusted Rei-bear. You'll always be here for me, right?"

Rei's face went slightly red upon hearing Minako call her 'Rei-bear'; when was it the last time the woman had called her that?

"I told you to stop saying weird stuff!" Rei protested.

The blonde had to giggle at that. How predictable Rei could sometimes be. It was still cute though.

_I think she's starting to like me_. Already she could hear Rei screaming, 'IN YOUR DREAMS!"

"So… umm, where's everyone else?"

"Well, we've dropped Nozomi and Hotaru off on Mars on our way here, and Ami and Makoto are just outside. Apparently the place that Makoto wants to investigate is beyond the outskirts of this town—it's in the jungle, so they're just gathering some supplies. All of us agreed that carrying children around for something like this was too dangerous."

"That makes sense, but… the jungle?"

"Yes, the jungle," Rei replied stiffly. "Most people have the impression that Jupiter is covered in nothing but tall vegetation, but that's wrong. Because of past storms, the landscape here is actually covered in more desert than jungle—it's very similar to Mars, except we have red sand. Here, they have yellowish, golden sand."

_Is it really that important? _Minako wondered if there really was a big deal about the different sand colors. But never the less, she allowed Rei to continue on without being interrupted.

"The expanding deserts used to be a big problem for Makoto's people, but with help from Mercury, as you eavesdropped from earlier, Jupiter has been able to control the storms. With help from Mars, we've been able to teach the people here how to grow crops even in the most barren areas. And because Jupiter is a neutral planet, Makoto has also received some help from Uranus as well. With Uranus's help, they've learnt how to convert the wind into electricity to power the smaller towns. The towns like the one we're in now are fairly common around these parts, and are pretty primitive from what you're used to. But the capital city here is nothing less than anywhere else."

"Uhh… question?"

"What?"

"What's a… jungle?"

_**Thud.**_

This time Rei actually fell over.

After more in-depth explanation, Rei finally allowed Minako to leave the hut. Together they both searched for Ami and Makoto, who were busy finishing a transaction at the town entrance.

"No, no your majesty! This is all free! Please, there is no need to pay!" The small elderly merchant insisted. His weak palm tried to force away Makoto's strong one, which happened to contain some currency.

"But I can't just take it from you." Makoto tried to argue back. "Please, at least let me pay for half of the goods. You would shame me otherwise." She quickly pointed out when the man tried to open his mouth.

"Is that so…?" He looked down quietly. There was little doubt that he had vision problems based on the way he constantly squinted.

"Yes."

"She's right," Ami pitched in. "It would be rude to refuse someone's goodwill, especially when they have gone out of their way to offer it."

"I-I see… I didn't mean to--"

"It's all right, no need to apologize," Makoto assured him. She quickly put the currency into his feeble hand and sped walked away with Ami at her side.

Having just witnessed the scene, Rei called out to the pair. "Ami! Makoto!"

"Oh, hey there!" The taller of the two replied cheerfully. "It's good to see that you're feeling better Minako," Makoto addressed the blonde more formally as she drew nearer to where they stood. "We were worried about you when you weren't waking up, but Ami said you were going to be fine. So I guess… ahh, never mind. Just forget about it. I'm not so great with words."

"No, really! Thanks for worrying about me." Minako gave a quick bow. She also bowed to Ami as well. "And thank you for taking care of me."

"It wasn't a problem at all." Ami smiled. It was nice that her efforts weren't being rebuffed like with a certain someone.

Catching this thought, Rei quickly pretended to cough. "So, anyway, are we all set to go?"

"Yup." Jupiter's ruler chuckled. "And don't worry... there aren't any poisonous snakes in THIS jungle."

As the group began to move out into the jungle portion of the land, Minako had to ask,

"Why? Is Rei afraid of snakes or something?"

"Hm? Oh, well actually when she was a kid…"

"MAKOTO DON'T YOU DARE!" Rei warned. Her eyes were wide and apprehensive. "Besides, back there with that old man… you gave him triple the currency that anyone else would have paid, didn't you?" She accused.

Makoto caught herself before she made an 'eep'. "Uhh… well…"

"Oh wow Makoto, really?!" Minako exclaimed. Her attention had been totally diverted, allowing Rei to breathe a sigh of relief. "But why so much...?"

"Well, I don't really need it..." The taller woman lightly scratched her cheek. "On every planet, currency is what keeps the economy going, right? Since I live in the palace, what am I going to buy? I have shelter, clothes, enough food and water… and there are a lot of people who insist on serving me. It's a little excessive as it is!" She chuckled, slightly embarrassed. "I just don't need that much, so… why can't I give more to my people? They can use it more than I can."

"Wow…"

"That's the kind of person Makoto is." Ami smiled over her shoulder at the two other women. Her blue eyes were dancing happily as Minako continued to look impressed at her new 'idol'.

For the next while, the group continued on through the vegetation in relative silence. There were a few areas where the plant and bushes become almost too dense to walk through, but with Makoto's spear and Rei's sword the group managed to pass through the jungle paths relatively unscathed. Uphill and downhill, everything seemed to go in a predictable pattern. Though it wasn't as boring as one would expect-- Minako's sudden bursts of curiosity usually supplied enough entertainment to keep them all amused.

"Hey, what are those?"

"Berries, Minako." Rei yawned.

"W-H-A-T! Oh! So-so-so they grow on trees?"

"Bushes." Makoto gently corrected the smaller woman. "Those ones anyway, but yeah, they can grow on trees as well."

"Can I eat this kind?"

"The yellow ones…? Uhh… I wouldn't suggest it."

"Bleh!"

All three friends then thought, 'too late'.

"Yuuuuuuck!" Minako's face turned a pretty shade of green. "Those weren't very good," She complained.

"Well, Makoto warned you, but you didn't listen!" Rei jabbed her companion in the side.

"But they smelled good..." The blonde pouted. Her hands moved to massage the 'injured' area.

"How stupid are you? That doesn't mean anything in the wilderness!"

"Well how am I supposed to know? If you were starving and out in the middle of nowhere, anything would look good wouldn't it?"

"Well, maybe if you listened a little more to what other people say—What?"

Minako had her eyes narrowed in a mischievous way. She was up to something.

"What?" Rei almost demanded.

"Snake."

"WHERE?" Rei nearly jumped away from the direction where Minako had pointed.

"Nope, that's not a snake Minako," Makoto laughed. Rei's reaction had been priceless. "So I guess you are still scared of snakes?"

"No, I'm not!"

"So Rei IS afraid of snakes," Minako gave a sly grin. Her blue eyes narrowed at Rei in accusation as if she had discovered the other woman's greatest weakness.

"G-Get that look off your face! I am not afraid of snakes!"

"Then why did you act that way?"

"There, there Rei. Childhood trauma can do that to a person," Ami tried to sooth the fiery, indignant soul.

"So what happened exactly? Huh? Huh?" Minako prodded Makoto again. She hadn't gotten her answer before, and she was now dying of curiosity.

"Oh nothing much…" The taller woman replied in a tired voice. "I think the last time Rei was here, a friend of ours thought it would be funny to pull a trick on her. She hid a fake, rubber snake beside where Rei was sitting and then told her stories about poisonous snakes on Jupiter, what they looked like and etc. You get the idea. So when she pointed the toy out to Rei, Rei freaked! I think the fake snake ended up being burned to a crisp and our friend didn't exactly go unscathed either! The Princess of Neptune had to tend to our friend's burns for awhile after that."

Both Ami and Rei felt their hearts skip a beat; did Makoto let that slip by accident?

"The Princess of Neptune?" Minako gave a confused look. "Was she here too?"

"That's right."

_Makoto, what are you doing! _Rei threw quick glances over to the tall woman. Was she planning on asking Minako about…?

She was.

"Minako, I'm just curious, but have you ever heard of the Planetary Meetings…?" The ruler of Jupiter finally asked.

"Planetary Meetings…? Hmm…No, I can't say that I have. Why? What are they exactly? Are they some sort of party for grown-ups?"

"So you haven't heard of them…"

"What?" Minako felt suddenly self-conscious from all the odd stares she was getting from the group. "Umm...Should I know what they are?"

No one said a word for awhile until Makoto suddenly halted in her tracks.

"We're here." She informed them.

"This is it?" Rei questioned suspiciously. "But there's a straight path in right front of you Makoto."

_Why is everyone…ignoring me? _Minako wondered to herself. _Did I say something wrong? What are these Planetary Meetings anyway?_

Makoto brought up her hand and hesitatingly touched the air in front of her. Immediately a purple barrier sprung to life and shocked her hand away, causing her to shrink back from the burn.

"I'm sure." She grimaced. "T-This is what happened last time. Look." When she pulled up her arm sleeve, multiple burns marks could be seen trailing all the way down her arm. "When I said I tried just about everything, I meant it."

Silently, Mercury whipped out her hand held computer and began an area-wide scan. A small beam of light shot out from the top of the device and into the foreign field. Surprisingly, the light passed through the field without any sort of deflection—it was as if there was nothing there at all. In a few more seconds other areas began to light up on Ami's computer screen. Using her head visor she feverishly typed at the controls in an attempt to locate the barrier's source. Yet each and every time when she thought she had a lead the trail suddenly died. There was no explanation for it.

"I don't understand this." Ami muttered half to herself, half to the group. "The computer is saying that there's nothing there at all."

"Well your computer is wrong. Just look at Makoto's arm!" Rei crossed her arms in a deep frown.

"I know, I know…"

…_**ping…**_

The back of Rei's hair began to stand on end. Where was this bad feeling coming from?

"Mm… Here! Let me try!" The Martian restlessly marched past Ami and Makoto, and threw a punch towards the barrier as hard as she could.

"Rei, don't!" Makoto and Ami cried out. However, both Goddesses blinked in shock when Rei passed through the shield without any resistance or injury.

"What the…?" Everyone could hear Minako ask. It was an answer they'd all liked to know-even Rei herself was surprised with the result. She had expected to be repelled, much like Makoto.

_**Bleep, bleep… bleep! Bleep! Bleep! BLEEP!**_

Ami's computer screen began lighting up like crazy.

"It's found something!" Mercury exclaimed. Her head visor gave the exact coordinates of the information to an area right behind Rei. "There's a power source straight ahead of you Rei. It appears that it _is_ near the storm system. Do you think you can take care of it?" Ami lifted her hand up to the purple barrier and felt the extreme heat begin to blister her delicate skin. If she were to touch it, she would surely be burnt like Makoto. "I-I don't think Makoto or myself can do anything until this barrier is gone." She finally admitted.

"Yeah, I can take care of this myself!" Rei nodded confidently. "Just stay there, I'll be back as soon as I destroy this thing!"

"Rei! Wait up!" Minako tried calling out. She tried to pass through the barrier as well, only to be thrown back to the ground violently.

_**BOOF!**_

"Ah!" The blonde had landed on her rear end. Almost immediately she scrambled back onto her feet, indicating that she received minimum injury.

"Are you all right?" Makoto offered out her hand.

"Ow… yeah… B-But why can Rei go through and we can't?" She complained as she tentatively stood and patted the dust off her garments. "What makes her so special?"

"Or perhaps, we're _too_ special…" Ami answered her darkly and closed the lid of her computer. Her head visor receded back into a mist of blue as her blue eyes met both of Makoto and Minako's. "What separates Rei from us is…"

"She's not a Goddess!" Minako realized. How could she ever forget such a fact?

"It's been bothering me for awhile now but… Now that I think about it," Makoto began. "Doesn't this place look familiar from somewhere?"

Ami nodded gravely.

While farther inside the area, Rei finally encountered the large storm-controlling device. It was sheltered in the form of a temple, but inside of the structure the main machinery lay dormant-- wrongfully dormant. The place was supposed to be alive with the creaking of mechanical gears as in the earlier days.

After some investigation, it didn't take Rei long to find the source of the problem. There, sitting on the main generator was a strange glowing seal.

_Huh? Where did that come from?_

Immediately she focused her power into deteriorating its barriers.

"Huh? What do you guys mean? I've never seen any place like this before." The Princess of Venus inquired nervously. The tension around Ami and Makoto was almost as bad as when everyone was ignoring her earlier. They weren't ignoring her anymore, but this was hardly much better.

"The Planetary Meetings, Minako…" Makoto began slowly. _Now that we know that she's a Goddess… _"Was a special gathering for the heirs of the planets. Each year we gathered together, with a different planet hosting the event than the last. It was intended to help build relations among all of us for the future. Did you know that Venus never attended?"

"What?" Minako's blue eyes widened in surprise.

"Supposedly it was a time of peace." Jupiter's ruler continued on with sad eyes. "But even back then, there were still problems. Periods at a time, Gods would go missing. Two planet rulers at a time, yet only one would return to the circle."

"I don't understand what you're getting at. You're saying… that Gods actually went missing?"

_But that can't be possible! No one can be stronger than a God! She makes it sound like they were kidnapped._

"That's right, in pairs. And when one of them would reappear, they would have no recollection of what happened while they were missing. No one ever knew what happened to the other God or Goddess. They just seemed to disappear into thin air. Sure, there would be search parties, but usually nothing could be done. So the heir was forced to ascend to the throne."

"That's crazy! How could anyone not know?"

"We think we might know." Ami corrected Minako in a soft voice. "According to a story that Makoto, Rei and myself have heard about from our predecessors, it depicts a strikingly similar situation as to what's happening now."

"I-It's still happening?" Minako squeaked nervously.

Unknown to the group, Rei had weakened half of the seal out back.

Ami took a deep breath as if to steady herself. "In the story fragments, it tells that the Sun King Apollo took pleasure in watching 'fight to the death matches'. He would randomly choose the leaders of two planets and set them against each other in specially designed arenas. There was one arena per planet." Ami paused. "It could be against your best friend, or a God against a Goddess. It made no difference to him. He viewed his subjects as mere toys to be abused."

"How horrible…"

"We all saw it eight years ago." Makoto hissed through clenched teeth. Her green eyes were swirling with emotion now. Minako could barely squeak out her question when she saw Jupiter's aura beginning to show.

"…Saw what?"

"This might not just be some ordinary story after all." The tall woman tried to elaborate calmly. "When these problems began to arise, it was kept a secret from the heirs. None of us were the wiser. Yet back eight years ago, during one of the Planetary Meetings, all of us saw it. In the basement of the palace of Neptune, there was an arena surrounded by walls of blue fire. And in it, we saw Ares murder the current ruler of Neptune!"

**FLASH!**

_**RUMBLE!**_

"What the--!"

As soon as those words left Makoto's mouth, the seal in the back had been destroyed. Instantly the purple barrier had dissipated, and the ground beneath the three Goddesses feet sprung to life. Where the dirt had been there rose up a decorated, golden platform. The planet itself seemed to roar out- cracks and crevices divided along old trails and trees fell. It was like a miniature earthquake- everything was sent into chaos!

Before Minako could even voice her concerns she felt herself being knocked to the side and out of the way as a wall of blue fire separated her from Ami and Makoto.

"Oof!" The blonde hit the floor and tried to scramble to her feet. "What's going on---" **–Ping--** _Ah!_ That was when a horrifying realization dawned over her.

_What I saw back in that wall of fire I knew that I've seen those people before! _She gasped. _It was Ami and Makoto!_

_**Crash!**_

"RAAAAAAH!"

_**Swup! Clash! Clash!**_

Minako barely turned her head when she saw Rei bringing her sword down against the wall of flames. However, it appeared unaffected by the Martian's blade. Instead the barricade seemed to mock the soldier, hissing and crackling almost evilly.

"Ami! Makoto! Get out of there!" Rei cried at the top of her lungs. There was a mix of fear and anger flickering in her amethyst eyes. "Shit! Shit! SHIT!"She swung down her blade again.

_**TZING!**_

"Ami, are you all right?!" Makoto mouthed. She was vaguely aware that they were both surrounded by the inferno. Since that day all those years ago, had the haunting nightmare finally become real? She could already feel thoughts of when she lost her father float back from the deep recesses of her mind. Back when he suddenly disappeared, how she worried for days but he never came back and being thrust onto the throne as the new ruler when she was still a child…

_Was it like this? Was this the way he met his end...?_

She remembered seeing Ami's father hospitalized being interrogated. The God had no recollection of his disappearance to answer any of their questions. _Why did he have to leave? _The time they had spent together, why did it have to end? Her green eyes began to tear up.

"No, this is no time for that!" She viciously shook her head._ Î can't cry now! _"Hang on Ami, I'll get us out!" Makoto immediately summoned her planet's guardian spear, and began to assault the barrier walls directly across from Rei. Both fighters threw all their power into breaking the wall, but their efforts were proving to be futile.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no!" Minako worried from the side. "I-I need to do something! But what?" That was when she noticed something odd about Ami; the woman was grasping her head in her hands as though she were in pain.

_Ami? _"Makoto, what's happening to Ami?"

Makoto had barely caught Minako's words. "Ami—AH!" She cried out when she felt a piercing force tore through her shoulder. Droplets of blood flew across in front of her face and splattered onto the ground, staining it red. Its color was bright. The pain was real. THIS was real.

Turning on the spot, she saw that the blue-haired woman had drawn her weapon; a gun that moved its aim from her injured shoulder, down in line with her heart. "Ami! What are you doing?" Makoto gasped out. But all Ami did was glare up at the taller girl with dark, clouded eyes. A black mist seemed to have taken residence in them.

_**Bam! **_

Makoto narrowly missed the next strike and then the next. As she evaded, she never noticed how deeply her footsteps sunk into the ground as she moved. But Rei did.

_The ground?! _With suddeninspiration, Rei re-directed her attacks at the base of the fire._ If Makoto would just keep moving around, then maybe… please! Let me make it in time!_

_**Clash!**_

"Ami! Snap out of it!" Makoto pleaded again. She was becoming desperate.

"Makoto, you're just going to have to take her out!" Rei shouted as she brought her sword down again. Her hands were becoming increasingly bloodied from the recoils of each blow she dealt. It was amazing that she could even spare the strength to 'chat'; the Martian's breathing rate was nearing hyperventilation, coming out in short, pained pants that rose with her rising exhaustion. However, her efforts weren't being wasted. Slowly but surely, the base was beginning to crack.

"You don't have any other choice!"

_**Tzing! Tzing! Swup!**_

Again, pieces of the ground crumbled once more.

Makoto knew what Rei was implying but she couldn't do it. To knock Ami out would mean striking her down.

_I-I can't hurt her! I--Ah!_

Makoto had been distracted long enough for Ami to take advantage of her position. The blue-haired woman had slipped underneath her, kneeling down on one knee with her gun already posed upwards for the finishing blow.

_She's--I can't move…! _Jupiter realized. She saw the trigger being slowly pulled.

"MAKOTO!" Rei and Minako screamed.

Rei's sword came down again.

**C-R-A-S-H!**

_**Rumble, rumble, rumble!**_

The ground shook once more-- cracking and crumbling as the platform folded into itself and broke apart. It was enough to send Mercury off balance and Makoto out of harm's way, but more importantly the arena wall had suddenly vanished. The entire structure had lost its ability to hold itself together. Stone and debris flew everywhere. To the side, Rei tackled Minako out of the way of flying rock while Makoto braced herself over Ami and shielded her from flying cement pieces.

_**Rumble… rumble… rumble….shhhhhhhhhhhhhh…**_

"…Ami?" Makoto carefully asked once she felt the movement stop. From her peripheral vision she could see the dust clouds beginning the settle. She noticed that their other two friends appeared to relatively unhurt.

_Thank Goddess. _She felt relieved. Dizziness began to assault the tall woman's mind, but not before she saw the person beneath her slowly open her eyes. They were clear again. A beautiful, clear, azure...

"Makoto?" Ami quickly blinked in disorientation. She glanced to both sides to her and then back up her injured friend. The sight of Makoto's torn, bleeding shoulder brought her to gasp, "Makoto, what happened?! You're hurt!"

"It's nothing…" The taller woman forced a smile, and her eyes softened. _She's okay again. _"Everything is fine… if you're okay… Geh…" Her strong body shuddered with a pained inhale of breathe, just split seconds before her body suddenly collapsed. Even as she fell, Makoto made sure to fall to the side of Ami and spare the woman her weight.

"Makoto!"

"Makoto!" Rei ran to Makoto's side and flipped the woman onto her back, making a quick assessment of the damage. It didn't take a genius to say that Makoto needed help and fast! "We've got to get out of here and treat her injuries right away!"

Minako could only watch as the scene played out in front of her as she re-thought what she had just learned minutes before accident.

_Gods fighting Gods…? Arenas, meetings, stories, what part of it is real? I don't understand any of this… _She narrowed her eyes and felt a dull pain within her chest.

"Minako! Can you help us?" Rei called to her, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Ah! Yes, I'm coming! What should I do?"

_**

* * *

**_

**Next up in HFD Ch. 9: Conquering Uranus!: Ally?**

**While Makoto is being treated for her injuries, Rei receives an urgent message from Zen; the leaders of Uranus and Neptune have gone missing! The planet of Uranus, without their leader, is in a state of chaos-- old factions have begun to rise once more in the proud city of wind. Where is Haruka? And what can Rei do?**

"_**Zen!" Rei commanded the man.**_

"_**Yes, your orders Sir?!" He stood at full attention.**_

"_**Gather every available soldier! Have them board all available military shuttles immediately with enough supplies to last them for awhile."**_

"_**Sir?"**_

"_**We're invading Uranus!" She ordered. **_


	9. Conquering Uranus!: Ally?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Sailor Moon.

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* * *

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…**Beep…beep...beep…**

…**tup, tup…**

(Infirmary, Palace of Jupiter)

In a single-bedded chamber, Rei, Ami and Minako were all gathered around the bed with grim expressions. Doctors and nurses were frantically rushing in and out of the room as shouts of status reports were exchanged. The palace had been thrown into a state of chaos ever since their arrival. The soldiers were undeniably furious, and the palace attendants had watched pale-faced and aghast at the sight of their bloodied, unconscious leader. They had passed several sobbing elderly women in the corridors on their way to the infirmary. The only people who were left in the dark of these recent turn in events was Jupiter's citizens. However, if the information had been made public, inevitably the people would have broken out into the streets in riot and curse the sinner of this outrageous act.

**Tup! Tup! Tup!**

The fifth nurse in the last five minutes had entered the room. Ami nervously glanced up at the young woman who was now recording Makoto's blood pressure. The mixture of relief and anxiety on her face exactly mirrored how she felt, but unlike the others her hands were stained.

_I caused this..._ Tears began to well up in Ami's eyes. _This is my fault! _Even now, her memory was still a blur. The last thing she recalled was the ground shaking, and then, the next thing she knew, Makoto had slumped into her arms--mysteriously injured. She couldn't avert her eyes from it. The blood, the chaotic atmosphere and, especially, Rei and Minako's questioning gazes. There was one thing that she remembered quite vividly though. At some point, she had snapped and demanded that Rei tell her what had happened. She needed to hear the truth, but her friend had turned away; the fear and hysterical madness that she felt inside threatened to break her—so she persisted until the Martian finally relented to her pleas.

"_Why won't you tell me anything?! Please Rei, I have to know! Who did this...?"_

"_Ami… You did this…"_

Ami nearly jumped out of her seat when a hand softly touched her shoulder. She was surprised to see a pair of sympathetic, blue eyes staring back at her.

"Hey, she'll be all right." Minako smiled reassuringly. "Makoto's strong. I know she'll pull through! Right, Rei?"

But the other woman remained silent. There were too many issues rushing through her mind at that moment.

_That place...Why did it just suddenly react like that? How could it just appear from out of nowhere? _The shock of returning to see her friends being engulfed by dirt and fire still lingered. Even now, the faint odour of smoke from their singed garments still hung in the air. It was exactly that type of helplessness that made Rei's stomach churn painfully.

_When I_ _disabled the field, was that when everything went wrong?_ _It is my fault? _

It took everything she had to beat down the urge to kick the nearby bed-table. She had told Ami countless of times that it wasn't her fault that this happened, but who did that leave? Who else was there to blame?

Rei's thoughts fell back to Makoto's people when she had carried the injured ruler in.

"_What--"_

"_This is no time for questions! Get her some treatment!"_

"_Call the head doctor! Tell him it's an emergency, top priority!"_

Would they blame her?

"Yeah..." Rei mumbled when she noticed that Minako and Ami were watching her. "It's just like Minako said. Makoto is a strong person. You should know that better than anyone else, Ami. Besides… her regenerative powers have likely kicked in by now. That's one of the advantages of being a Goddess."

"But, even still…" Ami weakly protested. This made Rei lose her patience.

"But nothing! Would you just stop worrying like that already? I told you, it's not your fault! Makoto will be fine before you know it."

"Are you sure about that?" Both Rei and Minako felt their hearts' skip a beat. "Not all of her injuries will heal..."

"W-What are you talking about?" Rei nervously asked. "You aren't actually serious are you?"

Mercury's hands fumbled nervously in her lap under the intense stares of two her friends. She strongly disliked being the messenger of bad news.

"Rei...you know I would never joke about something like this." She momentarily closed her eyes before re-opening them again— only to reveal all of her visible shakiness gone and replaced with a degree of seriousness that _commanded_ the attention of her audience.

"Even if you choose not to believe it, there _are_ wounds that even a Goddess cannot heal from. Ones such as these--" Ami carefully moved the clothing that hid the marks on Makoto's arms, prompting Minako to gasp.

_It is just me or did the marks bigger? _The blonde asked herself. _That looks so painful! _

"Nothing can heal them? Are you sure about that?"

"As far as I know of, no."

"The force field." Rei said bluntly. Her amethyst eyes were almost glowering at an unseen opponent as she said this. Minako had never seen Rei this upset before. "Makoto mentioned something about it when we entered the area. Those are the same marks… She got them from that power didn't she?"

"Yes, I believe so." Ami averted her gaze to gently trace her fingers along a particularly long, jagged, purple marking. It broke her heart to see her friend like this.

Watching the ruler quietly struggle with her pain tugged at Minako's heart. Although they were different people, she believed that, on some level, she could feel Ami's pain. It was like her emotions were overflowing into the room, a tide that swelled dangerously upward, ready to drown everyone in the vicinity, and yet it also radiated an unspoken gentleness. The erratic sensations were quickly soothed as soon as they began to slip out of control.

Rei, on the other hand, was preoccupied as she felt the earlier guilt seize her once more. She never had someone that important to her, someone that she cared more than anything, like Ami, but she strangely felt like she could sympathize. They were friends after all. Why wouldn't she feel upset too?

"Ami…" Rei reached within herself to say something to comfort the woman, but instead she bit her bottom lip when she drew up a blank. What could she say that would make the situation better?

_I'm not good at this…_ She inwardly cursed. All she could do was watch Minako walk up to the shorter woman and gave her a comforting hug. Ami received the gesture well, and thanked her gratefully for the human kindness.

Again Rei opened her mouth, but again nothing came out. Her patience was slipping fast.

_Why is this so hard? All I have to do is say something! I--_

**Bleep! Bleep! Bleep!**

"Tch, what is it now?" Rei dug into her clothing pockets for the annoying sound. When her hand reappeared, a small wristwatch-like communicator dangled loosely from her grasp. Its screen continued to bleep with impatient urgency, demanding attention from its owner (much to Rei's annoyance). The Martian only had to glance down at the flashing screen to see the address.

_It's from Zen? What in the name of Mars could it be now?_

"I'm sorry, but it looks like something just came up. I'll be right back." Rei excused herself and left before Ami or Minako could say anything (it wasn't like she was much help anyway).

The woman didn't have to walk far to find a vacant room. The staff had their hands full as it was, so they weren't likely going to drop by for a coffee break soon. But for precaution sake, Rei quickly did a detection scan. Only once she was confident that she wouldn't be disturbed, she flipped open the communicator's top and allowed access for the communication channel.

**Bleep… bleep…**

**Bleep… **_**private two-way transmission secured**_**… -Conversation start-**

Rei had been waiting ready to berate the man for interrupting her during this time of urgency, but as soon as his image appeared over the projector she knew this was more than a mere check-up call. Zen's dark eyes were anxious and he was clearly agitated about something.

"Sir! Oh, there you are! Thank Goddess I found you. Where are you?!" He demanded.

"Where am I?" Rei repeated his question. "On Jupiter, where else did I say I was going? Don't you ever listen to me anymore?"

"On Jupiter?! Then have you heard about it? You MUST have, you're so close by!"

"Hm?" _Hear about what?_

"You haven't?" Zen cried incredulously. He appeared to be reeling over this news.

"Enough of these games already, heard about what?" She snapped.

"It's Uranus. It's Uranus and Neptune! The leaders of Uranus and Neptune have gone missing! No one knows where they are!"

Rei's blood ran cold.  
_  
__"Periods at a time, Gods would go missing. Two planet rulers at a time, yet only one would return to the circle."_

_No…_

"No one knows where they have gone! Even as we speak, Uranus is now on the brink of civil war! They could break out into fighting any day now!"

"..."

"Commander!"

"..."

"Sir, what are your orders?!" Zen demanded anxiously. In the background several more hurried noises could be heard—people were scrambling about trying to scrounge updated news on their rival, Uranus. He obviously had his hands full at headquarters.

"They're on the brink of a civil war huh…?" Rei whispered under her breath. She never imagined for the situation to become this serious.

_Those fools…_

Zen fell silent and allowed his superior to think the situation through. There was so much riding on this decision. Out of all the opportunities they had in the past, this was the one, greatest, chance Mars had to finally topple their rival over for good. He knew it, and so did the entire Martian Military. The Outer Alliance would undoubtedly collapse with the fall of Uranus especially now that both of their leaders were missing.

However, there was just one thing that made this plan imperfect. It was a slim chance, but if Uranus's ruler were to return and rally the forces during the invasion Mars would be placed at a disadvantage. They needed a leader, a powerful leader. And as he watched Rei deliberate her decision, he wasn't sure if she was up to the task. It was true that the woman had been chosen by Ares to become his heir. It was also true, that she had climbed the ranks through her own determination and power. However, there were certain advantages to being a God that a human simply did not have. Time, great power and regenerative abilities...

That was when a thought came to mind, but the man hesitated to voice his opinion. How would the Commander take to his suggestion? Would she become angry? For what he was about to suggest was in actuality, treason-- a charge that was punishable by death. There was little doubt in his mind that his idol, Ares, the God of War, would have put him to death right then and there if he knew. But Ares wasn't here.

"Sir, if I may have a moment of your time." He requested. "There is something that I would like to discuss with you."

"What is it, Zen? Can't you see that I'm thinking?" Rei seriously hoped this wasn't going to be another 'what Ares would do' ramble.

"Umm... Well, there's been something on my mind ever since you departed for Mercury. Being a leader is pretty hard work, isn't it...?"

Rei slowly turned around at this.

"There's so many things that you have to keep track of. Not only do you need to worry about troop morale, but you have to make sure that everyone follows the schedule, make sure that the new recruits get their equipment and dorm assignments, start the training lessons, _and_ find the time to hone your own skills as well. It's almost insane!" The man nervously laughed. "Honestly, I... never really gave it much thought until I had to step into the role myself."

Rei heard the noise in the background fade away as the man moved into an isolated part of the palace.

"Zen...? Is everything all right?"

"It's... I really don't know," he finally admitted. "The moment you left Mars, and left me in charge, everyone followed my orders without fail. But I could tell... Even though they listened to me, they didn't have the same respect for me as they do for you. It's like I'm struggling with what little responsibility I have, but it's nothing compared to what you have to deal with! Since Ares left, you took over for both the military and the planet relations control. But you didn't just stop there. You continued to build on the old system, and brought about a better way of life for the normal folk, those people who aren't involved in the military. Considering all of that, I...I was wondering if you would consider taking over as leader... permanently."

_What?!_ His Commander's eyes widened in shock.

"Zen... do you realize what you're saying? That sort of talk..."

"Can be considered as treason? Yes, I understand that. But please, hear me out! I know I've always praised Ares. I've admired him ever since I was a small boy, and in a way, I still do. He was strong and amazingly powerful." The man paused. "But... what good does that do when he's never around? He disappeared on us without a word! If he still hasn't returned to us in our time of need, then he never will!"

"Zen."

"We need a leader." He pushed on. "You can be that for us. You can become a Goddess just like the current ruler of Uranus! If you attempt the rite of-"

"No."

Zen felt like he had been winded. "No?"

"That is correct. I refuse." Rei repeated more firmly.

_You aren't going to abandon us as well, are you? _Zen fearfully thought. At this rate, it would be inevitable.

"But--But why not?! You're more than qualified! Most of us, if not all of us already see you as our true leader now! But the way you are now, you're going to keep on... aging. You're going to grow old someday. But if you became a Goddess, you'll be granted eternal youth. You'll also be able to live forever!"

"I am quite aware of that." In truth, she understood the predicament better than her subordinate did. "I'm sure the entire solar system is aware that a human can become a God if they inherit a planet's throne, that they would gain God-like powers and immortality. Many would indeed seize the chance if the opportunity was made available."

Rei's amethyst eyes now held a strange light to them as she said this; suddenly even her own voice sounded foreign to her. Hidden behind her commanding tone underlay another that was kept hidden from her subordinate. What was it? Rei knew, and she was disgusted by it.

Want.

Thinking back to her childhood days and their lives, how different hers and Haruka's were, how different Haruka used to be, and how she had changed…

A quiet voice in her head asked: _If I had such a title, such powers, would the others...?_

_No, I can't._ She resolved. She steeled herself against the temptations that lay so close within her grasp, so close that she could almost reach out and taste it. Because in truth, it was just a flimsy illusion and she knew it.

"This isn't about the power. What you are concerned about is the aspect of eternal life." Rei directly looked him in the eye. She wouldn't deny her feelings, but there was something much more important than that.

_These battles against Gods and Goddesses… I won't become one and be forced to fight against my friends! Just like poor Ami and Makoto…_

"In response, I would have to ask you this: since when did a Martian need such a thing?" She saw the man's resolve waver. "Death has long been built into the Martian Military code. We are a planet of war! We risk our lives almost daily. Death is not uncommon to us, but rather it walks alongside us. If we die, then we die with honour. Immortality is merely something that existed long before our birth, and because every planet has it, it is not the deciding factor in war. It is the people."

Despite the envy she felt for her friends, she still possessed a strong sense of pride.

"That's why...I will continue to fight with the power that I have. If it turns out it isn't enough, then I'll train harder. I'll make it _be_ enough. As for growing old... well, there's just no helping for it. It'll happen someday, but I have no intention of dying before then."

_Commander..._

"So, that's your final decision...?"

"Yes."

"I see."

"As for your earlier outburst, officer, you understand that you may be tried for treason, correct?"

"Yes. But if I may say so, I don't regret it." Rei arched an eyebrow. "I know it may sound strange to hear one of Mars' elite soldiers say this, but... I did, what I felt was right on behalf of the people. And although I've failed my final test, I would still like to thank you for the opportunity and the guidance you have provided me over these last few years. I will immediately turn myself in and have the appropriate officer take my place as acting leader until your return."

"There's no need."

The man blinked up, looking very confused. "I...Umm...what? I-I apologize. I'm afraid I must have heard wrong. Could you please repeat what you just said?"

"I said there's no need," she repeated slowly. "Please continue your duties as if nothing has happened until I return."

"But why...? Under Martian Military code, the act of treason may be punishable by death!"

His superior looked at him with mild annoyance. "'May' be, doesn't necessarily mean 'will' be." She corrected him. Yes, she knew the code by heart. "It seems to me that it would be a greater waste to lose a soldier of your calibre for simply voicing his opinion. But I assure you that you will be punished. You can expect a doubling up in cleaning duty once I relieve you from your post."

_Sir Rei..._

Though he was once a great supporter of Ares, Zen felt all shreds of lingering loyalty to the past warrior being overcome by a greater admiration for his current superior. If he thought he was loyal to Rei before, what he felt now put his past devotion to shame. Unquestionably, beyond all doubt, this was the leader that he would always follow.

"Zen!" Rei commanded the man.

"Yes, your orders Sir?!" He stood at full attention.

"Gather every available soldier! Have them board all available military shuttles immediately with enough supplies to last them for awhile."

"Sir?"

"We're invading Uranus!" She ordered.

"I understand! I will carry out your wishes to the best of my ability!"

With that, the communication line was disconnected and Zen's projection image disappeared. On Mars the man was about to redirect his attention to carrying out his superior's orders when Nozomi 'happened to walk by'.

"Sounds like a plan to me." She grinned knowingly.

"You think so?" Zen humoured the girl. "Too bad you aren't going."

"What? Of course I'm going!" Nozomi protested. "You don't think I'm going to hang around here and sit on my butt all day, do you?"

"Oh?" The man feigned interest over his back. He feverishly began typing in his code-number for system access.

**Bleep, tak-tak-tak-tak, taka, bleep.**

–**Confirmed- **_**Transport phase A initiated**_**.**

"Are you trying to say… that you want to prove yourself?" He finished.

"Let me put it this way. I won't need the entire five years," Nozomi smirked back.

Back on Jupiter, Rei waited until her communications port had closed entirely. After a few seconds following Zen's dismissal, her communicator finally gave the clear signal and promptly returned to its dormant state.

"You really… have a bad habit of eavesdropping," Rei remarked as she stuffed her communicator back into her clothing.

Taking the hint, Minako revealed herself from behind the hallway corner.

"Haha, sorry about that Rei... I really didn't mean to but let's just say my timing sucks." The blonde made a goofy facial expression as she touched the back of her head. "I actually came to tell you that Makoto's regained consciousness. She was looking for you."

"She was? All right, then we should be heading back. There's no time to lose-- I have something very important to tell her and Ami."

"Yes, Oh Great leader." Minako giggled and saluted as Rei walked by her.

"Cut that out."

"Yes ma'am."

"That's SIR to you."

"And that's Mina to you!"

In front of the giggling Venusian, Rei rolled her eyes and wondered how she'll ever be able to conquer a planet and handle Minako all at once.

(Infirmary)

When Rei walked into the depressing room again, she found an alert Makoto carefully studying her. It looked like whatever she was going to say wouldn't surprise the ruler that much after all.

"You're awake." Rei stated calmly, though her eyes momentarily softened at the sight of her friend being alive and well.

"Yup. I heal fast."

There was an awkward silence.

"So, let's hear it Rei. What's the news?" Jupiter got right to the point. That was Makoto for you.

When the woman's body movements betrayed a small hint of confusion, Makoto gave a weak chuckle.

"You really think you can hide something from your friends? From what I've heard from Ami, that was a pretty long call... and I could feel your aura blaze up even while I was asleep. Something's wrong, right? And it's not about me." Her eyes stared back in confidence.

Minako glanced quickly between the three friends' faces. Ami had resumed her calm, composed pose, while Makoto and Rei were now staring each other down.

"You could say that." Rei finally broke the silence. "To be more exact, WE have a problem."

"Let's hear it."

It didn't take more than ten minutes to brief Ami and Makoto about Uranus and Neptune: About the missing leaders, how Uranus was in a state of disarray, and her plans to conquer the planet of wind. The entire time the two other leaders listened patiently in silence, waiting and analyzing the situation within their own minds. It wasn't a matter of getting into an argument now- it was the last thing they all needed. Now that long forgotten events have been set into motion once more, it was imperative that they try to understand each other and work together or 'accidents' like the one shortly before may reoccur.

No one spoke until Rei had said her bit. But even before the Martian leader finished expressing her intentions, Ami and Makoto already knew what their responses would be.

"It sounds like a plan to me." Makoto nodded approvingly. "We're in."

"Are you sure?" Rei questioned. "But Makoto, your planet is still has its neutral planet status. If you choose to go in with Mars, you'll be seen as siding with us 'barbarians'. Do you think your people would accept something like that?"

"I have faith that my people will follow me, regardless of what I choose." The green eyed woman voiced. "Besides, I think it's about time that these false alliances are put aside—The Inner Alliance, Mercury and Mars, the Outer Alliance, Uranus and Neptune, and these so-called neutral planets, Venus, and Jupiter included—what we're up against is putting a lot at stake. Unless we're all in this together I don't think we stand much of a chance. We have to find Haruka and Michiru!"

_**Twitch**_

"I'm sure they're fine wherever they are." Rei immediately scoffed. Although she really did feel worry for the two women, she couldn't help but feel resentment whenever Neptune was mentioned.

"Reeeeeei!" Minako warned in a low voice.

**WHACK!**

"Ow!" She automatically felt for where she had been hit on her head. "What was that for? Stop hitting me already!" She growled.

"Sure, when you stop talking like that! Admit it, you're worried about them."

"Why should I be worried? I'm only trying to conquer a planet right now."

"Was that…sarcasm?" Minako stared back at the woman.

"No. Not. At. All."

The two women glowered in each others' faces until someone's patience slipped, and triggered yet another heated argument.

"Oh man…When they fight, they really go at it, huh?" Makoto whispered to Ami. She cringed when Rei challenged Minako on the basis of the woman's fashion sense.

"It appears so. Yet, can't you see it Makoto?"

"Hm?" The chestnut haired woman blinked. It didn't take her long to realize what Ami was getting at. "Yeah, I know what you mean. She's finally... opening up."

"Oh forget it! I'm going to go start the preparations. Makoto, I'm leaving! And you better not overdo it!" Rei shouted over her shoulder as she left the room.

"All right..." Jupiter chuckled and politely waved back. She winced slightly when her arm began to throb again, gaining Ami's attention. Her partner began to change the bandages around the wounds.

"I don't know about this. Maybe you should just stay here…" Ami voiced her concern.

"No! I-I'm all right. Really!" Makoto shook her head and assured the woman. "They might look painful, but I can deal with it." _Hopefully…_

Minako was about to follow after Rei when Ami stopped her.

"Minako?"

"Oh. Umm...I was just going to go to my room! Did you need something?"

"You were also hit by the force field. Since you're already here, perhaps it would be best if I tended to your wounds as well."

"Huh?" _Wounds...?_ "A-Actually, I already took care of them! I umm... I knew some first aid from back at home. I'm fine! Like Makoto said! They only erm… look painful." Minako wildly gestured. "Umm… I'll see you guys later!" She took off.

Once the blonde had run a ways down the corridor and was out of sight, she breathed a sigh of relief. When she lifted the sleeves of her shirt and checked her arms where she had made contact with the shield there was nothing there.

There were no wounds.

(Later on a shuttle, on route to Uranus)

Everyone was gathered around a small strategist table within the ship's 'navigation' room. On the table, a large map depicting the island surface of Uranus's capital city, Caelus, had been spread out. It had contours lines marking the elevations of the buildings and the rough distances between them. Thick, red arrows had also been drawn where the initial plan of pursuit would begin. Overall, it would be the very same pincer strike that Rei had thrown up against the Uranian army during their last encounter.

At the head of the table, Rei gathered herself up for the briefing summary amongst the familiar faces. Ami, Minako, Makoto, Zen and Nozomi (who had caught up to them since their departure) were all seated around the table.

"All right, so this is the run-down. I will not repeat myself again, so everyone better listen up." Rei began. Seeing the understanding in everyone's eyes, she continued.

"Mars will be supported by Jupiter's troops once we've landed. We have concluded from Ami's data that Mercury is simply too far away to provide soldiers for this operation, so instead, they will take over communications and Ami will act as our main tactician. If anything should change in the situation, we'll be relying on them to inform us of it."

Rei gestured to the overhead monitor and pictures of Uranus from Mercury's database flipped up.

"Currently, as the situation on Uranus stands, there are two major groups struggling for power. Because of this struggle, Uranus is on the brink of a civil war. Now, what is our objective? To act as the buffer and take control! Jupiter and Mars' troops are to position themselves between the two factions marked at these points, and prevent any violent breakout until the dispute is 'settled'. This means until we have 'drawn' Uranus into the Inner Alliance. As for the others, Zen and Nozomi will be leading Mars' Medic unit and hide along these main streets—they will not engage with the people unless it is absolutely necessary." She looked to her first officer and Nozomi. "We need you to be our trump card is something goes wrong. Is that clear?"

"Yes."

"You got it!"

"Also, don't forget that your unit will work alongside with Jupiter's Shadow unit. Try not to clump up in one area-- make sure that you're all spread out for any type of situation, anywhere. As for the rest of the divisions, we've paired up the strongest levelled classes from Mars with the weakest levelled in Jupiter. This is to balance out any potential weaknesses between the parties. I assume that this won't be a problem, Makoto?"

"Not that I know of," The ruler shook her head. "I think they can handle it."

"My calculations also agree with this," Ami added.

The genius tapped on a few buttons from her miniature computer and brought up the divisions onto several, smaller, overhead screens. Each group had a general evaluation of skills and the occupations of each of its members. From what everyone in the room could see, the groups were fairly balanced out with a few exceptions that made a group more specialized for certain missions than others.

"Wow, that's so cool!" Nozomi exclaimed. "Which one am I in? Oh, wait, I think I see it now!"

"Nozomi, please try to keep it down." Zen advised.

"Mm… Oh, all right." The girl crossed her arms and sunk into her seat, silently sulking.

Minako on the other hand was too busy being impressed to be annoying at that point. Everything was so well thought out.

_Oh wow, they have everything! The soldiers, their evaluations, skills, and occupations… I'm still amazed that they drew up a strategy on such a short notice! But that's beside the point. I still can't believe that they really intend to conquer a planet! Nozomi is right! This is so cool!_

"And last but not least," Rei reminded them, "If there is a disruption, do whatever it takes to quell the threat, but try to keep the casualties to a minimum."

"Right!" Everyone nodded.

**Bleep! Bleep! Bleep!**

There was an awkward pause when the ship's overhead lights began to flash red. Shortly later, a voice over the intercom boomed,

"Attention! Attention! We are approaching the planet Uranus's outer limits! We have also detected an incoming transmission from Uranus. Shall we open the channel?"

Rei leaned forward onto her elbows and pressed the call button to the bridge. "Who is it?"

_It can only be one of the two factions. If they've spotted our forces, then they know they're about to be invaded. The question for them is not how to fend us off, but "Who will be the first to curry favour with the dominating force?"_

Again the voice came over the intercom.

"Word identifies the sender as 'Baroach', leader of the 'true wind clan'."

_Leader of the true wind clan...? What an arrogant title._

"What shall you have us do?"

"Allow the transmission." Ami gave the go ahead. Her blue, computer visor across her eyes lit up as the connection was secured.

**…**_**Recording**_**…** She read.

**…**_**Channel secured… Opening transmission**_**…**

**Bleep!**

The projection of a man in his early thirties appeared across the room from where the group sat. His physical appearance was bulky, very muscular for a man his age. He had black hair and dark blue eyes eyes-- a rare thing for an inhabitant of Uranus. Many of the people were like Haruka, with blonde haired and light coloured eyes.

_His hair is getting long… _Rei noted. _ It indicates laziness to keeping things well kept, perhaps including equipment. His reputation seems dead on for his appearance based on what Ami collected._

"This is the leader of Mars speaking. State your business." Rei initiated the conversation.

"Now, now, please! There's no need to be on guard for someone like myself!" The man on the other end waved to the screen in a friendly manner. "My business you ask? I will gladly tell you. I wish to request an audience with the leaders of the Inner Alliance to hopefully resolve this matter of disorder and put it to rest."

"You wish to meet with us?" _Does he mean to let us walk in without a fight?_

"That is correct. The people who support us do not wish for violence. All we want to do is talk, and perhaps… negotiate."

Now that was more like it.

"Who will we be negotiating with? Yourself, perhaps? Our transmission was sent under the impression that you were the leader of the faction 'The True Wind Clan'. Is that correct?"

"Goddess, no! I'm not the leader. In fact, I'm not even part of that clan...anymore, that is. What was sent in the transmission must have been a mistake." The man calmly corrected.

Both Makoto and Ami raised an eyebrow at this.

_I'm not getting a good feeling about this guy…_ Makoto silently thought. Her green eyes were swirling with intense concentration. She committed everything about him to memory.

Beside her, Ami was still secretly recording the conversation. She had her own suspicions forming within her mind as well.

"Yeah, then who is?!" It was not Rei, but Nozomi who spoke up this time.

"Oh my... I wasn't aware that you allowed children into your meetings."

"Just answer the question." Rei calmly ordered.

"Yes, yes, of course. I am speaking on behalf of our leader, none other than Uranus himself!"

_Uranus?!_ The group simultaneously questioned.

_No, he's not talking about Haruka! _Rei realized. _But __after Haruka took over, I didn't think he would still be alive! But if it's true... Actually, this meeting could be beneficial after all. Maybe HE would know where Haruka's gone!_

"We accept your offer." Rei finally answered. Heads whipped in her direction, but she ignored it.

"Excellent! Then shall I greet your group in the central plaza of Caelus?"

"Please do."

**…****Bleep…. **_**Connection disconnected**_**…**

"He's creepy!" Nozomi declared out once the connection had been cut.

"Yeah, this time I have to agree with her. That guy just got on my nerves." Zen said thoughtfully beside the younger girl.

"But he seemed nice enough right?" Minako pointed out as she tried to brighten the conversation.

Makoto and Rei's jaws dropped.

"How can you say that?!" They both exclaimed.

"Eh? Eh? What did I say? I thought he was nice."

"I doubt you would be saying that if you knew more about his... background history." Mercury carefully phrased it.

"Oh?"

"Never mind," Rei sighed in exasperation. "Our shuttle is already nearing our destination. We should get ready. Minako, you better come with me. I'll fill you in along the way."

"Huh? Uhh… well, okay… I guess?" The blonde blinked back.

After the group was dismissed, Zen quickly whispered something into the Martian leader's ear. Rei simply nodded and then shooed him away before she dragged Minako into the hall. It was a relatively dark, dimly lit corridor as the pair marched towards the exit. Minako certainly felt that way inside as well-- left in the dark. She considered asking Rei what that was all about, between her and Zen, but she decided to take the indirect route instead. Surely Rei would tell her if it was something important, right?

"So… what exactly am I missing out on?" She asked innocently. Though, the rest of her thoughts, however, weren't quite on the same wavelength. The both of them were close enough that Minako could touch Rei if she'd only reach out her hand.

"To put it simply, the threat of a civil war existed amongst Uranus's people even long before this incident occurred. Ever since Haruka officially took over as ruler, the people were split into two factions. A smaller group still supported the former ruler of Uranus, while the majority chose Haruka. In the end, it was decided that these two groups couldn't live together, so the group that chose the former Uranus voluntarily moved to the land below Caelus."

"The land below...?"

"That's right." By now Rei had given up on expecting Minako to know anything about other planets. It was odd for a diplomat but she shrugged it off. "Most of Uranus's population live on floating islands in the sky. But there's also a land mass below it like that of Earth—and don't ask me how islands can float. Right now all you need to keep in mind that there are two layers of ground on Uranus. Got it?" Minako nodded rapidly. "Good. Okay, let's see… as for living on the bottom ground, many of the people believe that only those who have lost their wings would move to such a place. The people who chose to move there obviously had a problem with that theory, thus the two groups occasionally clashed—Haruka handled it pretty well though. As for Baroach, the man you saw on screen, he's obviously a supporter of the former Uranus. He boasts to be one as you've noticed. He's the one we are going to meet."

"Umm… okay, I think I got all of that. But... why is he a bad guy again? Is it because he lives on the lower ground of Uranus?"

" I didn't say he was the bad guy!" Rei huffed. "We just don't like him-- his political sources say has a reputation of being a perverted, ladies man."

"…OH."

_Suddenly the phrase 'lustful barbarian' starts ringing in my head, _Minako giggled. _If only Rei was as such…_

Before Minako could ask any more questions about this character, the pair had reached the exit hatch. As the shuttle doors opened, the area shield was just dissipating to reveal Uranus's capital city below.

"Huh… I guess they were serious after all!" Rei shouted out in the face of the wind. To the side of their door, there were other hatches where Makoto and Ami stood out front. The Martian could see Jupiter and Mercury nodding back in agreement.

"What do you mean?" Minako squeaked.

The wind began to die down as the shuttle descended amongst a cloud of shuttles.

"Let me put it this way. A single individual can't break a planet's defence system alone. That's why Makoto and Ami were standing out there as well. It would take at least a few of us to break the shield if they were serious on keeping us out. But it looks like 'someone' else lowered it for us…"

**SssssssssssssssssssSSSSSSHssssssss….**

The metallic structure vibrated around the women and clanked noisily as the shuttle touched the ground. They were landing on the ground itself. There were no space sports whatsoever on Uranus. In essence, the entire floating mass was a spaceport.

"This is it." Rei whispered to Minako as the cloud dusts began to settle. What Minako was about to see wasn't anything like she's seen before.

"Oh wow…" She quietly whispered back in awed. _I've heard of it but I never actually SEEN it…_

Beyond the dust clouds were towers that seemed to reach up into the sky. They were tall, golden structures that varied in their brownish-gold shadings. Other smaller buildings were constructed of engraved stone, their shapes almost resembling a set of ruins that had been reconstructed from the rages of time. It was a breathtaking mixture; strange markings lay engraved in some, while other had their own peculiarity of reflecting the sunlight's beams. Other smaller contraptions also littered the city; wind powered devices that must have created energy for the people. And lastly, one could not miss the dome-like barrier that surrounded the outer edges of the islands, acting as guards against those who may accidentally wander off.

It was a desert, it was old, yet at the same time it was like an oasis that was brimming with the potential to support life. It was no wonder that Uranus's people took so much pride in their lifestyle of living in the sky. Here the air was fresh and clean. Just standing there was enough to make a 'grounded' person truly feel as if they were soaring.

"Hey! There you are!" A voice cried out to the group. Instantly they recognized the figure—Baroach. "I see you've all made it safe and sound! That's wonderful! Erm… hello?"

But Rei wasn't paying much attention to the figure as much as she was to the surroundings. Perhaps she was lost in memory or perhaps there were other thoughts clouding her mind. Whatever it was, the man in front of her was clearly being ignored and he knew it.

"You ARE the leader of Mars, correct?" Baroach questioned.

Rei slowly turned her attention back to the man. "That is correct." Minako noticed the deliberately cold, formal tone that Rei was using. It reminded her of her own when she was serious about diplomatic relations.

"Ah, then you two must be…?" He turned to face Makoto, and then to Ami.

"I am a representative of Jupiter." Makoto said as she tried to remain slightly distant.

_Rei should be the one doing the talking for now…_

Her green eyes glanced overhead, behind their group, to one of the tall towers. For one split moment she caught a glimpse of their Medic/Shadow unit. It was reassuring to know that their forces were already on the move.  
_  
_"Of Mercury…" Ami followed her friend's lead.

"And this beautiful young lady?" He inquired of Minako. "Perhaps I can escort you--"

"Oh, I am…"

"My maid."

There was an awkward pause.

Before Rei had realized it, the words had already left her mouth. And now, everyone was staring at her in either shock or well shock. Even Minako seemed to be at a loss for words. But in the Venusian's case Rei couldn't tell whether it was simply shock or a reaction of pure horror at the title.

"Y-Your maid?" Baroach repeated uncertainly. The sight of the armor-clad leader of Mars, claiming that this beauty beside her was her maid, was—well, he supposed it could be possible, but for a 'barbarian' soldier to covet such a-- Instead of shooting his mouth he patiently waited for Mar's reply.

_Well, no turning back now…_ "Yes, that's right."

Rei's arm came up and gentle touched Minako's opposite shoulder. Her hand almost recoiled from the simple gesture, but she swallowed against the foreign sensation and forced herself to continue on. Her hand eventually slid down and wrapped itself around Minako's shoulders, drawing the other woman up against herself (once again inspiring a wordless speech of shock). Baroach was so surprised that he stepped back, especially when he saw the possessive flicker in the Commander's eyes. Minako herself was blushing too profusely to see what Baroach saw, but she could feel her heartbeat race all the same.

_When has she ever wanted to hug me?_

"So Mr. Baroach, I strongly suggest that you do not touch any of my property. Do I make myself clear?" She finished calmly—but it was anything but calming to the party being addressed; to the man, he heard the venomous tone laced underneath that diplomatic calm.

"A-A-Ah, yes! Of course!" He stuttered. "A-And now, we really should be going. Can't keep the meeting waiting aha..ha…" As soon as he turned away from the group his face immediately twisted into an expression of indignation and humiliation.

_Damn it…_

The group soon moved to follow the man, but Minako and Rei held back until the others were out of hearing distance. Occasionally Makoto or Ami would look back in curiosity, but they continued onwards nevertheless. Once they were in the clear Rei finally let Minako go (almost in the relieved way). The release in contact was enough to snap Minako back into her 'I am indignant' mode.

"What did you do that for? I am NOT your maid you know!"

"You should be grateful."

"What?"

"Visitors from Venus are very rare these days, especially out here among the Outer Alliance Planets. If people knew what you are, you'd likely be swarmed by anyone who happens to be nearby."

"Because…?" Minako sweat-dropped. "Ami and Makoto are Goddesses, and I don't see them being swarmed," She argued back.

"No, that's because they said they were only representatives, not THE rulers. And secondly, they don't have a myth about their people hovering over their heads."

This piqued Minakos' curiosity. "A myth? Ooooooh, what kind? Is it a good one?"

_You're not supposed to be happy about this…_ Rei inwardly sighed.

"How should I know? I guess that would depend on the person. Some people around here think that a Venusian can grant a person their true love-- all because your people pride themselves in calling themselves the 'people of love'."

Rei then began to walk past Minako to follow the others. "Anyway, forget about that. It's just a myth. Don't let it go to your head. We've got to catch up to the others…"

"Okay!"

"And Minako?"

"Yes?"

"While we're here, you better stay close to me…"

Minako felt her heartbeat skip again. This encouragement brought her the courage to ask,

"Can I… hold your hand then?" She shyly requested.

"Mm." Rei outstretched her hand and Minako slowly took it. The warmth they felt was different than a one-sided hug or a forced hand clasp-- this time, they had both reached out to each other.

"Let's go."

**

* * *

**

**Next up in HFD, Ch.10: Conquering Uranus!: Resistance**

**The group arrives on Uranus and is greeted by Baroach, but then everyone is split up! Rei went to negotiate with one of the faction leaders, while Minako is led away to the servant quarters. But what did Rei say again about Venusian visitors? They're trouble, and her maid is about to drop into the middle of it all.**

_**Ever since I left home, I promised myself that I wouldn't be a coward. I couldn't do anything for Ami or Makoto back on Jupiter, and I couldn't do anything when I tried using detection for the first time. I'm sorry everyone, but I...**_

_**...I want to be a little braver... **_


	10. Conquering Uranus!: Resistance

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sailor Moon

**A/N:** When characters are referring to Uranus, try to keep in mind that they are referring to two different people; it might be confusing otherwise.

**

* * *

**

The group was led down a central path of the city, walking for what seemed to be forever until a large structure came into view. Looming overhead protectively, as a guardian would to its treasure, there was a pure white, marble building that stood atop of a tall cliff overlooking the city of Caelus. At this time of day the sun appeared to be shining directly behind the building, casting a shadow of strange light over the majestic landmark.

"If we take this way, it won't be for too much longer," Baroach promised. Though the group was more concerned about how they were going to scale that unavoidable cliff.

To their good fortune, there was a collective sigh of relief to see that they weren't going to scale the cliff with their bare hands. As they drew nearer a spiralled staircase came into clear view. From first glance it was a long, narrow path that was marked by a metal rail to the side. It acted much like the broken pieces of shield around the edges of the island; it was there to prevent possible accidents.

**Tup, tup, tup…**

**…****ping…**

Mid-way through their climb, Rei abruptly paused for a moment and threw a questioning gaze back towards the city. The wind brushed her long hair to the side, playing mischievously with the dark coloured strands, and, in effect, had cast a shadow over the Martian's darkened eyes. The change in the woman's aura, however, hadn't gone entirely unnoticed by the party. Being the one to be lingering a few steps behind Rei, Minako had almost bumped into the woman when she abruptly stopped.

**Tup, tup-- **

_WOAH!_

**tuu-u-u-up.**

"Rei! Why did you just stop like that? I almost ran into you! Okay, maybe I forgot to mention this, but I have this thing against...heights, you know? I mean, it looks like a looooong way down from here. So, could you please be a little more careful?!"

_I don't feel like becoming a squashed pancake anytime soon_!

But when Rei didn't respond, the Venusian Princess drew back and tilted her head to the side to get a better view of her companion's face. The Martian was absolutely rigid, which was a very bad sign in her books.

"Uhh... Rei? Heelloooo, Minako to Rei, is something wrong? Everyone will leave us behind if we don't keep moving." A little bit more than worried now, she tugged at Rei's unresponsive hand. It wasn't until then that she realized how cold her hand was. _Oh! __They feel like ice! _Minako suppressed the urge to let go. "Look, if it'll make you happy you can call me your maid—but talk to me already! Are you mad at me or something?"

Rei listlessly pulled out of her grip and maintained her silence. She appeared to be squinting at some invisible opponent and listening for a non-existent sound. Minako decided that this wasn't getting her anywhere. Instead of trying to make contact with the 'unmovable' force, she invested her energy into listening for what the other woman apparently heard. After a minute or two, she began to wonder if Rei had somehow lost her mind. She honestly did try, but she could only hear the sounds of the whispering wind. It never occurred to her that Rei actually _was_ listening to the wind.

**Ssssssssshhhhhhhhhh…**

"No, it's nothing," Rei finally said. Sighing loudly, the woman shook her head and then quickly resumed climbing the steps (followed by a very confused Venusian). The blonde almost opened her mouth to question what Rei was doing when she suddenly felt cold. It felt like the temperature of the air around her had plummeted twenty degrees.

_Ah! So cold! B-B-But where it is coming from? It's not the wind is it?_

However, she was uncomfortably for only a fleeting moment. The moment Rei's hardened gaze turned to her, the feeling fled with hurried haste. Minako momentarily wobbled, but quickly caught her balance once again against the rail. She had felt unusual things before, but never to that intensity.

**Tup… tup… tup…**

_I don't want to worry Minako… _Rei thought to herself as they climbed the stairs. _But for a moment there, it felt like we were being watched._ Something about the feeling deeply disturbed her. It didn't feel like a curious, watchful gaze that she came to expect from her troops, but, rather, something much more sinister, as a hunter would to its prey.

_Only one more reason to stay on guard,_ Rei noted.

Successful with their trek, the group found themselves standing face to face with the great palace of Uranus. Much like the cliff, they were greeted by a sight that none of them could have fully appreciated from where there they had landed in the city. The palace walls, for instance, appeared to be engraved with golden markings that appeared to be telling wise advice in their own cryptic language. But for what they lacked in communication with the foreigners, they made up in show; the markings continuously glowed, as if they were imbued with some sort of strange magic.

"Well, what do you think? Impressive isn't it?" Baroach remarked once more to his silent audience.

The man was unaware of this, but the markings alarmed the group more than it did to impress them.

Ami feigned innocent interest in the sight, and asked, "My, this _is_ interesting! I have never seen anything like it--would you mind if I took a few pictures?"

"No, not at all! Go right ahead!" _Tourists...!_

To the inexperienced eye the symbols were meaningless. However, given the situation, Mercury could not simply let this go. She took out her hand-held computer and initiated her head visor. The screen came alive with target symbols and graphs. Unknown to her generous host, while she was taking innocent pictures her machine was also following up with systematic scans.

"Have you ever seen something like this before?" Baroach suddenly addressed Makoto. She seemed to have spaced out in her own thoughts and was startled by the personal question.

"Oh. No, I haven't." She forced a smile. "But you're right, they are impressive. We don't have anything like it back on Jupiter."

"Yeah, I kinda figured." The man said with an obvious, disappointed look.

Makoto felt her face burn. She knew her people weren't exactly hailed among the smartest of the solar system—but it was still insulting nevertheless.

_Why you...!_

"What about you?" He asked Ami, purposely avoiding Rei. "You're from Mercury, aren't you? What do you make of it?"

"Well, I honestly can't say. As a mere representative, my background consists of planet communications and political studies... so, regrettably, I am ill-suited for investigative research. However, if you would like to inquire more about the subject matter, I would suggest speaking of such matters with our ruler when you receive an audience with her." Ami smiled (only her friends could sense the coldness though the sparkles). "But if you absolutely insist on my opinion, then I would have to say that it is a pretty sight."

"Ha...hahahaha! True! I would have to agree with you. You know, you have quite an eye there missy... for a diplomat." He failed to notice Ami placing her hand on Makoto's arm, silently warning the taller woman to control herself. "But maybe this will make it more interesting for you. Those markings that you see on the walls are actually spells."

"Spells?" Ami raised an eyebrow.

"That's right! You know, magic, and all that hokus poky sort of stuff. I don't really understand it myself, but a friend of mine once told me that these markings can control the palace security... sometimes, even the wind itself!"

Everyone's gazes sharpened upon hearing this information.

"It would be really great if that were true…But things don't seem to be that simple." Baroach said with a saddened tone. "They said that there's a key needed to control it, and only the current ruler of Uranus is in possession of it. If it ever did exist, it would have disappeared with Uranus, Haruka." The party tensed at the mention of their friend's name. "I understand that you may think ill of me and my comrades for supporting the former Uranus, but if there's one thing that I would like you to know, it's that we would have never wanted her to be kidnapped."

"Kidnapped?!" Rei exclaimed. She bit her tongue before the accusations could even start.

_So Haruka was kidnapped? _Ami and Makoto simultaneously questioned. If the information was true, then perhaps they were on the right track. What if both Uranus and Neptune had been abducted?

"Yes, unfortunately... that is correct," Baroach nodded with a sorrowful look. "Please, come in. I will explain it all inside."

As they were led into the Great Hall, the guests tried to distract their thoughts regarding their comrade's predicament by willing themselves to become completely absorbed in their surroundings. From the moment they passed under the great arch into the palace, they were not disappointed. Nothing had changed, even after all of these years. There was a bright red carpet that courted the center of the white marble halls. To either side of it, there were many extravagant, gold columns that continued to support the ancient structure even after so many millennia. While out back, although they had yet the chance to see them, there were many open terraces along the palace walls-- the wind continually brushed past the curtains as it visited the rooms. It also occasionally nuzzled the rare potted plant inside a room.

The group passed by the rows of portraits in the Great Hall. Rei briefly paused to 'admire' the one to her right. In it, the painter had drawn the adult Uranus and his young heir when Haruka was still very young. They were standing side by side. Even back then the child's bright green eyes possessed a wild sort of nature to them.

_Haruka was kidnapped...? _Rei whispered to herself. It pained her to even think of it. The place was already bringing back memories of a visit from long ago.

_**Tup! Tup! Tup!**_

"_Hey Rei, come look at this!" Haruka beckoned the other girl. The blonde was practically jumping to show her friend something. "COME ON! You're so slow! Like… oh, what does Michiru call them? Oh! I remember now," She snapped her fingers. "Like a turtle! Don't tell me you've been slacking off on your training."_

"_No… not…at all Haruka…" The raven-haired girl growled back between breaths. Her right eyebrow was twitching dangerously. She was starting to regret Ares and Uranus's private visits together. "It's just that…I don't climb cliff's everyday like a monkey and---hey! There were stairs?!" She exclaimed upon once spotting the steps._

"_Oh...those?" Haruka tried to look innocent._

"_Haruka…"_

_But the blonde just laughed at the enraged girl. "Okay, okay! Chill! You can kill me later, but first you gotta see this! C'mon look!" She pointed at a palace column._

"_Huh? What are you talking about--"Rei blinked. "Wait, is just me or is that writing glowing?"_

"_Haha, nope, it's not you. Did you know that people say that Uranus can control the wind with these? I even heard that this is why we are able to live in the sky. The pillars hold the islands up. Pretty cool, dont'cha think?"_

Thinking back to Haruka's smiling face brought a frown to Rei's own. _Kidnapped?_

However, as deep as she was in her thoughts, Rei could not overlook the soldiers in black suits of armor. They practically littered every corridor in at least pairs, like pests. It annoyed her to see them standing there and acting like they actually belonged there. The guards remained at their posts in motionless silence, moving only to salute as the group passed them. For as many as there were, it was a bloody miracle that there wasn't a single watchdog in the large, spacious room where the group had finally come to a halt.

It was an open place, a smaller version of the Great Hall with exception that there were three stairwells that branched down into this area instead of two. They all led up to the second floor, with each of them continuing directly into separate corridors. Directly beneath the stairways there were also entrances to passageways on the lower level that they were now standing on.

"As you were saying _Sir_ Baroach... I do believe you were about to give us an explanation." Makoto politely reminded him.

"Yes, of course. First of all, there is little doubt in my mind that you have suspicions against me for simply being in the palace, isn't that right? You have all probably asked yourselves why a person of the lower lands is here in the land of the sky."

Rei remained silent. She had no idea where this was going, but it had better be good because she, for one, was _not_ in a good mood.

"As I've mentioned before, I am no longer a part of the True Wind Clan. Before the unfortunate...disappearance of our ruler, I was granted the position of second in command. It was to improve the relations between the people of the lower lands and of the people of the sky." He took a moment to pause. "However, even I never saw it coming."

"What do you mean? Saw 'what' coming?" Rei pressed.

"I shared the position of second in command with a fellow named Soren Auranos. He's a tall, handsome character, with blonde hair green eyes much like our ruler. But he was always secretive and calculating. Before I knew it, he had become corrupt, and power hungry... or perhaps, he had always been that way and I never noticed until it was too late. But even if I had found out sooner, what could I have done to prevent it? After all, I am a person from the lower lands--who would have taken my word seriously? In any case, it appeared that Soren got greedy and desired more than just his rank. So he planned a mutiny. It's infuriating, but he nearly took it all within a single night! He kidnapped his ruler! No one has seen her ever since… And, as you have likely heard, our planet fell into chaos shortly afterwards. I cannot attest as to why Neptune's ruler has also recently gone missing, but those are matters that do not concern us."

"So, if I understand this right...while your leader was missing you thought it would be best if the former leader, the person who you used to serve, took her place?" Makoto tentatively asked.

Baroach returned the accusing stare.

"The people demanded order. So who else was qualified enough to take over temporarily but the former Uranus? If he wasn't so busy attending to matters right now, he would be here instead of myself."

"If that is true... Then what do you expect from us?" Ami questioned.

"The rebels are still at large. We still don't know where they've taken Sir Haruka, but we do know where her sword is. If it is possible, I would like to request that you help us to retrieve it."

"But why the sword...? What's so special about it?" Minako asked curiously. Baroach tried to ignore her.

"Answer the question." Rei repeated threateningly, causing the man to flinch.

"All right, there's no need to shout. Do you recall when we were discussing those markings earlier? Well, we have reason to believe that her sword is the key to controlling the palace security. It can activate the writings to prevent outside attacks. I suspect that Soren must have somehow gotten a hold of the sword shortly before his attack, and that's why..."

"...You think he was able to catch everyone off guard." Rei finished.

"Exactly," the man nodded. "In fact, he's still probably using it right now. Since the markings have been activated, all of our communications have been acting up. That's probably why you saw the incorrect title attached to my transmission. In any case... if we can get a hold of the sword, and our communications system returns to normal, then we should be able to locate Sir Haruka. Until then, we're at the mercy of an attack. That's why palace security is so tight at the moment. We just never know when an attack will come."

"I see."

"Anyway, I assume you ladies must be exhausted from that long and tiring trip. Perhaps it would be best if you all rested up before we continued with the meeting?" Baroach suggested.

"That won't be necessary," Rei interjected at once (to no one's surprise). "I would like to meet with Uranus as soon as possible. Unlike some of us, there are those who do not have the time to waste."

Automatically Baroach glanced to the trio behind Rei.

"Ah, I see. I think Sir Uranus will be able to meet with you, but I am afraid our leader will only negotiate with the leader of another planet. These representatives… it is unfortunate, but they cannot attend the meeting."

"What?" Makoto challenged. Her body screamed in pain when she suddenly took a step forward. She definitely did not like where this was going."A planet has representatives for a reason Sir Baroach! And for precisely that reason, we are here on behalf of our planet leaders. Barring us would be equivalent to barring our ruler!"

But Baroach brushed the comment aside. "Please, I am only following the orders of Sir Uranus. I've only repeated what I was told. No one other than the planet leaders themselves are allowed in his audience."

"Yes Ms. Jupiter, please remember that he is only doing his duty."

Makoto was shocked that that Ami had just agreed with this man and, the way the woman had addressed her! Jupiter could only stare as she watched those pair of blue eyes met hers, urging her hold her tongue as she heard Ami's thoughts answer her.

_Try to stay calm Makoto; if you allow yourself to become too upset, you won't be able to suppress your aura. It must be hard enough as it is in your condition. If that happens--_

_I'm fine! _

Yet for a moment Makoto's eyes glowed with her aura before quickly submerging under a mask of calm. Why did it feel like Ami was trying to distance herself from her? Why couldn't she stop feeling as though something between them changed since the incident on Jupiter?

_What you're trying to say is that we can't blow our cover right? I get that. Don't worry, I won't let that happen._

_Makoto..._

The green-eyed woman turned her head away and broke their contact. She just couldn't bear to tell Ami that she was right, that she was having trouble controlling her aura. Back in the infirmary, she had told Rei a white lie. Not all of her wounds had been healed. In fact, she still felt somewhat weak and sick. The trek through the city, and then climbing that stupid cliff had left her feeling exhausted.

_My powers... Sometimes, I can feel it starting to seep out… _Her hands slightly trembled. She went through great pains to avoid showing pain or worry in her movements. _But I know I can do this! I just got to stay calm. Just don't think about __**that**__, _she told herself. She returned her attention to the conversation.

"Well, I glad that someone understands!" Baroach beamed at the Martian. "But there is no need to worry representative of Jupiter! There's no reason that we cannot inform you of the on-goings during the meeting per say and there's little doubt that you may join in once the documents require signature. I hope that you would agree with me that this isn't unreasonable. It shouldn't take very long at all."

"But still…" Jupiter wanted to protest.

…**ping…**

"Fine."

"Rei? I-I mean, Sir?" Minako tried to lightly squeeze the woman's hand, but found that she was already holding it very tightly.

"These arrangements are fine. All of us do not need to be present to talk to one man." Rei turned her head and met Makoto's eyes.

_I'll be all right. Don't forget that our troops are occupying the city as we speak.  
_  
Makoto felt numb, but inside Rei's words still hit her. The Martian warrior, being unaware of Makoto's predicament, then simply continued on as if nothing had happened.  
_  
_"Besides, it may be better that you diplomats get some rest. It has been an exhausting day and we wouldn't want a planet's representative's health become poor from over-exhaustion… right, Ms. Jupiter?"

"And me?" Minako finally asked. Although she already had an inkling of what the answer would be, she still hoped she could stay with Rei.

"I'm sorry... however close you two may be I still cannot allow anyone other than a planet ruler to be present." Baroach started. "You understand, don't you Sir Mars?"

Rei inwardly flinched upon hearing the title. _Yes, I actually DO mind!_ She wanted to yell. The thought of leaving Minako here by herself made her stomach knot uneasily. She didn't entirely buy the man's story. There was just too much left unanswered. And although it was true that the blonde woman would most likely be safe under Makoto and Ami's care, and it wasn't that she couldn't trust her friends, she somehow couldn't become comfortable with the idea of letting the golden-haired woman out of her sight.

_Minako's a klutz, she runs into things, and… she doesn't know—well anything about other planets! Hell, when she first came to Mars she couldn't even figure out how to turn on a bath! _She may have actually smirked at the memory if it weren't for the circumstances.

However, the more logical side of her compelled her to instead say,

"Yes, I heard you the first time. However, what will become of my maid?"

"Oh, she may join the palace staff. People of her position may wish to become acquainted with others of her rank—is that not acceptable? But I guarantee you that there is no need to worry! Both you and your servant will be re-united before either of you know it." Baroach's eyes gleamed as the words left his mouth. "If that is acceptable with you, then please, follow me. I will show you to Sir Uranus."

"I see." Rei pretended that she was thinking it over.

**Ping!**

_Huh?! _

Her senses were suddenly on the alert. It was that same 'watchful' feeling from earlier.

_There it is again! Where is it coming from...? _The warrior's amethyst eyes darted to the right-hand corner of the room, into the shadows, where she threw a portion of her power and searched for the elusive presence. Yet it disappeared so quickly that Rei had begun to seriously wonder if it was merely a miss-detection.

_There's something off about this place… _But where she was headed she was going alone into unknown territory. She was reluctant, but she was now convinced that Minako would definitely be safer with Ami and Makoto. They were Goddesses after all.

"Girl, you are to join the palace staff. Take this as a break from your duties to me if you will. Enjoy it while it lasts."

_Rei…_ Minako's hands shook slightly, feeling unable to let go. But the expression in the woman's dark eyes was paralyzing her. The words of protest just wouldn't leave her lips. _Don't go with him! I've got a bad feeling about this!_

"Your Majesty, are we ready yet?" Baroach beckoned again.

"Yes. I am ready," Rei remarked as she pried off Minako's hand. "Show me this leader." She said as she turned and faced the man.

"Yes… as you wish." He bowed and then gave one last word of instruction to the remaining trio. "The palace servants shall be here shortly to guide you to your destinations. I bid thee farewell for now."

Baroach and Rei then left. Minako felt the voice inside of her die down altogether as she watched the Martian depart down the center path of the three. As the man had promised, it wasn't long before a pair of palace servants met with the group. One man bowed and offered to escort Ami and Makoto to their rooms via the right path, while the woman of the pair took Minako's hand and led her down the left path towards the servant's quarters.

(Diplomat Quarters)

Makoto and Ami both waited patiently until the servant had taken his leave. The man said his part in 'welcoming' the guests, reminding them to call for him if they should ever require assistance, before he excused himself. As soon as he left the room and closed the door behind himself, the two Goddesses performed a detection search.

With Makoto on one side of the room and Ami on the other, their eyes became distant as their powers were slowly allowed to flood throughout the chamber's perimeters. Makoto couldn't stress how relieved she felt when she could finally release the restrictions on her power, even if it was only a small portion. The green energy eagerly lapped at the floor, flying up along the surrounding walls and coated the ceiling with urgency. It overtook everything that happened to get in its way. Before she realized it, her powers had even started to overlap with Ami's. The woman gasped and immediately tried to reel it in before it got out of hand.

_Hang in there… _Makoto commanded herself. She involuntarily shivered. For some reason, ever since they had split up from the main group she felt cold. She sincerely hoped that she wasn't coming down sick.

Perspiration began to form on her brow as she furrowed her eyebrows into deeper concentration. When her aura finally found what she was looking for, Makoto drew her power back into her fold. Each spark of green energy that retreated into her set her body ablaze over and over again. It caused her wounds to burn, but she refused to cry out. She pushed herself to keep going. Only once had it all retreated, did the tall woman stagger over to a nearby desk (she was thankful that Ami was too deep in concentration to notice her awkward condition). There, underneath the piece of furniture she found a hidden camera.

_Huh. There you are…_ She was about to reach out and disconnect the device when Ami's aura suddenly surged up. A series of crackling noises shot from one end of the room to the other, like fire crackers, followed by the fading light of dying metal. Only until the noises stopped did the blue aura withdraw obediently back to its owner.

_What did she---?_ Makoto quizzically blinked back at her companion, wondering what all that was about. However she didn't have to look very far to find her answer; the video camera under the desk was practically smoking. Ami had short circuited it!

_Woah! She probably got all of them then. Haha, leave it to Ami… _

The cold inside was growing.

**…****ping…**

"You sure know how to handle these things huh?" Makoto gave a weak grin, but Ami diverted her gaze as her eyes were quickly losing their empty, distant appearance. Why wouldn't she look at her?

"It was the most efficient way of handling it, yes." Mercury bashfully admitted. "Though... I suppose this shouldn't come as a surprise to us. Haruka would never have such devices hidden in her guest's chambers, but obviously, that does not mean our current hosts would abide to such honourable actions."

Jupiter shrugged, again feeling the stab of anger swell within her. "No, I guess not. But that makes me even more worried." She attempted to change the subject.

"About Rei?"

"...About everything! I just can't believe that the civil war has already started! And Baroach…I don't trust him at all. His story sounds fishy to me. I mean, Haruka would never let herself get kidnapped and it still doesn't provide an explanation for Michiru's disappearance either."

The woman walked over to the nearby wall and leaned her forearms against it.

_Damn, it's getting really cold now. Is it just me? It doesn't look like Ami feels it too._

"I'm sure Rei has noticed it as well."

_Yeah, because she always does!_ The sarcastic mark sprung up in her mind.

"I know she did. She knew, but she still walked off without us. There's gotta be a better plan."

"Such as...?"

"I don't know! Something, just something… There must be a better way than splitting up like this!"

What was she feeling now? Desperation?

_There must be something that I can do! I should be able to think of something! C'mon Makoto, think! _

The woman wracked her brains for a solution. She tried with all of her might but when no strategic miracle came to mind all she could do was vent her frustration; she attacked the nearby wall with her fist.

**Bam!**

Makoto's mind was so clouded now that she never noticed that her control was beginning to slip. She barely realized that the darkness was closing in.

"Argh! Damn it Rei!" _You're going to get yourself killed!_

"She did what she thought was best. What else could we have—Makoto?" Ami stood up and went rigid. Her aura was flaring up.

**Lubb dubb!**

Suddenly Makoto's head throbbed and her pupils contracted. _What…?_ Something inside, which had been stomped on and twisted up so tightly for so long, was now beginning to unravel. She could not hear the sinister laughter echoing in the distance.

"_Young Majesty, I regret to inform you this but your father, the King is…"_

"_Ami! Snap out of it!" _Ami's dark, clouded eyes flashed through her mind.

"_Yeah, I kinda figured." _Baroach's mocking face...

"_Yes Ms. Jupiter, please remember that he is only doing his duty."_

"_Well, I glad that someone understands!"_

A voice that sounded eerily similarly to hers emerged from the darkness.

_Why is everyone fighting against me? I'm not the enemy. I'm only trying to help!_

"_It has been an exhausting day and we wouldn't want a planet's representative's health become poor from over-exhaustion… right, Ms. Jupiter?" _

_Do they really think that I'm weak...? Am I really just being a burden to everyone?_

"No! S-Stop it!"

_Get out of my head!_

**LUBB DUBB!**

Ami appeared visibly shaken by Makoto's vocal outburst. The tall ruler lunged out at an invisible entity, only to successfully trip over a chair and falling face-first to the floor. She then rolled, stumbling up briefly, and anchored herself against the nearest wall, holding her hand to her head as if she was in excruciating pain. Her eyes were shut tight and her ragged breaths were now forced; perspiration freely fell from her face as her powers approached dangerous levels. Ami noticed Makoto hugging her arms, and watched in horror as the normally collected woman began to tear at the bandages around the markings with her bare hands.

"Makoto?! W-What's wrong? Is it your wounds?! Are they hurting?" Ami reached out with a shaky hand towards her friend, but a bolt of Makoto's green aura lashed out and burned her.

"Stay away!"

_**Crackle!**_

"Oh!"

Although it had been her hand that had been hit, the wound cut far deeper than that.

_She's losing control! _Ami realized, and quickly sent out her own aura. Her power split into two concentrated strands. The slim minority went towards sealing off the room, while the majority focused on suppressing Makoto's. Inevitably both powers clashed.

**CRACKLE!**

**FssssSSSSsssSSSSsssssssSSSSsssssss…**

"Makoto, try to calm down!" She cried out.

"Why?" The other woman replied in a strange voice. Vaguely, she felt Ami's aura surrounding her. It was fighting her. She knew she was trembling, but why? A part of herself asked,

_What am I doing?_

She was suddenly aware of her arms once again.

Ami was helpless as she watched Makoto's own aura whirl back and attacked herself. Makoto screamed out in pain. When the bandages couldn't handle the intrusive abuse any longer, they were swept away to reveal that her arms were all healed.

"Ami…I'm really useless aren't I…?"

_There's something really wrong with me._

"Useless? That isn't--" She found Makoto's gaze and gasped. Jupiter's green eyes were alternating from their bright, glowing green to black! The moment they became black, Makoto's aura would once again blaze to new levels.

"AHH-------rRRRRRRGH!"

It was enough to shock Ami out of her horror and force herself to double her own efforts. Her blue eyes swirled in determination as a distant voice reached her ears.

"_Ami, if there is one thing that you should always remember… it's to never allow things to upset you," She recalled her father telling her._

_The blue-haired child in her memory looked up quizzically as the elder Mercury bent down and looked her in the face._

"_When a God or Goddess loses control of their emotions, they also lose control over their power. That power could potentially destroy everything around them, and even hurt those that the user cherishes. That is why you must study hard, and become mentally strong. Never lose control." As he stood to leave, she remembered him whispering, "You are unfortunate that you a true royal my daughter…"_

_**Woosh!**_

Ami flinched as a blast of wind hit her.

"I always have to ask for help. It's like I can't do anything on my own… The people at the palace, the kind people who serve me… They keep on giving but I couldn't give anything back! I thought that once I became the ruler, things would change, but… but they didn't. They didn't change at all!"

_Makoto…_ Ami desperately wanted to say something, but she had a feeling this wasn't an ordinary occurrence.

**Ping!**

_Ah! There's something else here!_

From outside the room, she felt something viciously attacking her barrier. In her right state of mind, it was a comparatively weak-- like an animal who could only scratch but not bite. Why didn't she sense it earlier?

"I couldn't handle the situation on my planet by myself. I had to bother both you and Rei, and look what almost happened!"

_You both could have died because of me…_ The guilt was breaking through her mental barrier. It wasn't okay! She wasn't okay!

"And now…why can't I think of a plan when we need one? Why do I always have to rely on you and Rei?! It's not that I don't understand the situation… I-I do!" Makoto's voice finally broke. Tears were beginning to form in her eyes. "Ami, I'm…not stupid… I just…I… just…worry…" She pleaded, but her body had already begun to sink into a fighting stance.

"I believe you."

It was as if a switch had gone off. Ami's aura exploded out and ripped through the presence outside.

_Be gone!_ She commanded it. The dark presence outside screeched as it was engulfed by a bolt of blue light. It struggled, but wisely chose to give up the fight and instantly vanished.

With that taken care of, Mercury turned all of her attention to her companion. Sensing that Makoto was too unstable to pull her power back on her own, Ami immediately sent her power to surround the other woman and encased her within in spherical shaped container. As the sphere decreased in volume, it crushed down any remaining green strands that stubbornly leaked out. A few seconds passed, and then a minute-- at the end of the line, the green aura trapped within it pulsed once or twice more before both auras finally died down into Makoto, leaving both women thoroughly exhausted.

**FSSSSSssssssssss….**

Makoto stood there for a moment, with a dazed expression playing on her face, before, finally, her knees buckled underneath her. She was barely aware that a pair of arms had grabbed her, until she was pulled into a tight embrace.

_How long have you been keeping this to yourself?_

"I'm so sorry Makoto… I should have realized it sooner…" Makoto felt a tear fall onto her face and knew that Ami was crying. "You're not useless. Silly, don't you remember? Ever since we were kids, you were always the strong one. I used to cry a lot... and other people would used to talk behind my back, but you never gave up on me. You stayed by my side, and always cheered me up when I was down. I'm really glad that I was able to meet you." She felt Makoto's tense body suddenly relax. "As for your people, you know that's not true. You've given them so much! Do you remember that elderly man we met when we visited your home? You didn't have to give him anything, but you still did. They all follow you because you care about them."

"Hey... Can I, ask you a question?"

"Yes, of course."

"Maybe it's just me... But it's been on my mind for awhile now. Ever since we left Jupiter, it felt like you were being distant with me. Did I do something to make you mad?"

The blue-haired woman looked positively shocked.

"No! That's... It's not your fault at all..." she quietly admitted. "It's just... well... I was a little scared. Not of you, but...of myself." She thought back to the incident on Jupiter. "When we were on Jupiter I-I totally lost control of myself. I hurt you. I nearly killed you! I just didn't know what was going on with me, and I felt so horribly ashamed..."

_Oh, I see now. _Makoto silently thought. _She was worried about me..._

Makoto closed her eyes and felt again for her power. This time when she touched it, it didn't recoil or lash out. Rather, it felt warm and tame. Her body briefly emitted a soft, green glow as the restraints were re-established and gave them both a peace of mind.

"I'm so sorry Makoto..."

"No, it's okay. I should be the one apologizing. I didn't mean to make you worry." Her own arms came up and wrapped themselves around Ami's smaller frame.

Before either woman knew it, they were both crying.

**Shff, shff…**

On the other side of the walls of a nearby room, a strange creature twitched violently from the earlier attack. It glared venomously at the pair with its red eyes, but began to sniff the air irritably when it realized that it was being stalked. Swinging its tiny head around, it snarled at the invisible force that dared to disturb it but the other force either failed to notice or dismissed its wishes entirely. Instead a windy hand shot down and made to grab the creature, only to narrowly miss it and see it disappear into the shadows of the room.

There was a contemplative silence until the presence decided to give chase after the intruder. It too, then disappeared from the room.

(Minako, En route to Servant's Quarters)

While Makoto and Ami had been led away to the Diplomat's quarters, Minako had been guided down a different set of halls and down a narrow staircase that led towards the kitchen. The young woman guiding her took her past many of the underground work rooms where people of their 'rank' worked and performed their daily duties. But it hardly fazed the despondent Venusian. Witnessing all these men and women pushing themselves so hard had indeed formed a cloud of doubt over her head, but the idea of manual labor could not stay in her thoughts long before worries for her Martian friend took the center stage.

_It feels wrong to be separated._ Minako peered down at the hand that had held Rei's only moments before. The warmth of their touch still lingered. _I hope she's all right…_

"Are you worried?" The servant asked her.

"Huh? Oh. Maybe a little..." Minako shrugged, once realizing she was being talked to. She never really took much notice of her guide until now. She appeared to be about her age, perhaps a year or two older she supposed. They were about the same height as well. But the other woman's hair was a lighter shade of blonde than Minako's own-- it was held up in a high ponytail-- and she had light green eyes and wore a bright red bandana around her neck. There were subtle facial differences, but otherwise Minako could have sworn that they almost looked identical.

"Hey, chin up girl! There's nothing to be ashamed about; you weren't the only one who got caught. I mean, there's a whole bunch of us who did. But what were you doing hanging out with those officials? Did Kali make you spy on them or something? I've got to admit, that was a pretty gutsy move… But don't tell her that I told you that or she'll get on my case."

"…?" _Eh? W-Wait... Is she talking about me?! Spy? I don't spy on people! Who is she? Who's Kali?_

However what the woman said next _really_ caught Minako's attention.

"No need to worry though! Soren's got a plan going. You've got great timing too! He just called a meeting. I think we're finally going to make our move!"

_Soren? Oh my Goddess! It's them! _"B-But I'm not…" She began to panic.

"Aha! Here we are." The servant stopped them before a wooden door. She promptly turned to face Minako and offered out her hand. "By the way, I don't think we've met before. My name is Celeste." Minako hesitantly shook hands with the other woman. When Minako didn't offer her own name, Celeste seemed to take no offence; instead she flashed a sisterly smile. "Still got the nervous stomach butterflies, huh? Well don't worry. Remember, behind this door we're all friends."

**Creeeeeak...**

Celeste shooed Minako in, giving the uneasy blonde a gentle push into the crowded room. As the guide had described, there were many, many people packed in the place. They all had blonde hair and light coloured eyes, not excluding the man in center of the masses. Amongst the crowd stood a broad shouldered man, who possessed short blonde hair and green eyes like Celeste. Although unlike the woman, he looked to be in his late twenties and was also sparsely covered with armor—there were a few arm and leg guards atop of his garments, but nothing as extravagant as a full suit. The particularly long, sheathed sword that he carried on his back particularly drew attention.

All eyes turned as soon as the door had opened. Minako was stunned by the intense attention she received. She especially felt uneasy when the man she assumed to be their leader cast his gaze on her as well.

_That must be him._ _Soren… And on his back, is that the sword that Baroach was talking about?_

"Celeste, you're late." The man automatically answered. "Hm?"

"Sorry about that Soren, but I got a call from our 'master'," She made a gagging action, promptly earning a laugh from the rest of her comrades. "But check out who I brought! She was being assigned to maid duty."

Minako glanced around nervously at all the faces. The way everyone was staring at her made her wish she could crawl into a corner, or under a rock, anywhere that would make her invisible to the probing stares. There were just too many strange faces at once.

With Baroach's tale in mind, all Minako could do was stand rigid and listen to the voices all around her.

"Blonde hair, blue eyes… looks like one of us to me."

"Think she got caught?"

"Probably. She's just a child though... They wouldn't send her to prison."

"Is making her a servant like us any better? I'd rather have died first."

"Quiet! Why don't we let Soren deal with it?"Someone suggested.

"Yes, let Soren…"

The man named Soren, like the rest of his comrades, was also staring at Minako. He was curious about her but not for the same reasons as the others. Though he remained silent, his sharp green eyes flashed every so often as thoughts and possibilities raced through his head. He finally walked up to her and bent down to study her face.

"Let's see… blonde hair, blue eyes… hmm...yeah, you're definitely not one of them. All of Baroach's henchmen have dark hair. You're all right kid."

"I--Ah..."

"What the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

"She doesn't talk much Soren," Celeste piped up. "Either she's in shock still from being caught, or she might be a new recruit, or maybe…"

Minako gulped.

"Both."

_Whew._

"Hmmm... A new recruit, huh? Well listen up, there's no need to be afraid of us! We all botch up once in awhile, so no one is going to look down on you for it. It takes courage to overcome your fears. When we feel alone, betrayed, or cornered, fear is what clouds our hearts and attempts to lead us astray from an honourable way of life! It leads to betrayal, distrust and defeat. If you give it your all, and take that first step forward for others, then they will do the same for you. This is our way! This is Uranus's way!" Soren gestured, and the crowd cheered in agreement.

As the man spoke, Minako felt her stomach doing flip-flops. There was something odd about his speech. In fact, there was something dreadfully wrong about this entire scenario. Were these people really the bad guys?

"What's your name?" Soren finally inquired.

"M-Minako." There was a slight pause.

_Ever since I left home, I promised myself that I wouldn't be a coward. I couldn't do anything for Ami or Makoto back on Jupiter, and I couldn't do anything when I tried using detection for the first time. I'm sorry everyone, but I..._

"Nice, so you can talk! Always good to know. So then Minako--"

"Please wait. I'm not done."

_...I want to be a little braver... _

Minako held her hands to her chest, and lowered her head. No one could clearly see the diplomat's facial expression as the combination of the dim room and her bangs shadowed her eyes, but they sure wished they could. All around her many of the soldiers were questioning what this woman was doing. A few of them even thought it was rude that the Venusian had interrupted their leader. Anyone of their rank was expected to be silent when being talked to by a superior. Would Soren punish her?

Soren on the other hand carried an expectant grin. To his subordinates' surprise, there was no displeasure evident anywhere in his eyes or stance.

"I apologize. Please, continue…" He encouraged.

Minako lifted her head high and looked him straight in the eye. A strange connection was then made, and she understood.

_Goddess... He knows…!_

"My name… is Venus Minako. And I am a diplomat from Venus!"

This time there was a series of gasps from the crowd. It definitely was not what they had expected. What was the diplomat of a neutral planet doing out here of all places? Especially one from Venus?

"I see." Soren remarked with little surprise. Indeed he had suspected something, but this was better than what he had expected. "Celeste, as third in command, you absolutely need to work on your wind readings."

But the other woman was too busy gawking to actually listen. When her superior called to her again, all she could do was nod dumbly.

"You knew from the start." Minako commented in a serious tone. Her blue eyes had lost all nervousness, and had hardened into something more confident.

"It was your aura that gave you away. I could hear it. People with stronger powers naturally distort the air around them."

Minako felt her eyes widen a little as she heard this. _My aura…?_ She had never noticed it until Soren had mentioned it. But now that she thought about it, it did feel like there was a warm blanket of air around her. There was no color to it, but there was definitely something there.

"If you had suppressed it, I wouldn't have noticed anything different about you from the rest of us. Were you trying to test me?"

_He thinks I was trying to test him? Maybe this could work after all._ The swell of air around Minako suddenly died down, leaving her skin tingling and somewhat cold. Yet it had left behind a new found courage.

"Before I answer that, may I please inquire who you are?" There was a great confusion playing out in Minako's mind. The way Baroach had described this man and the way she saw him thus far-- it was almost as if they had been speaking about two, completely different people.

"...Certainly. My apologies for not properly introducing myself earlier... After all, disrespecting a diplomat is equivalent to disrespecting their planet ruler," He gave a slight bow, once again inspiring awe from his people at the majestic scene. Although their leader was not adorned in Uranus's proud suit of armor, they were still impressed. Even if some weren't, Minako for one knew that she was (especially considering her earlier run in with Baroach). So far, she was feeling more inclined to take Soren's word over the former.

"My name is Soren Auranos. I am second in command to our planet ruler, Uranus Haruka. The young lady who escorted you here is our third in command, Celeste Daytem. She shares the position with my younger sister, Kali Auranos. And as you may have already noticed Lady Venus, this is no ordinary gathering of palace servants." The men and women around him cheered. "Now, if you don't mind... may we know the reason why a diplomat such as yourself has come all this way to Uranus? Surely it is not to sully your hands with our affairs as your planet is classified with neutral status."

Minako took a deep breath. Yes, she supposed she was obligated to return the favour.

"Normally that is the case…but at this moment I am acting as an observer with the Inner Alliance. Jupiter has recently joined their cause." She paused thoughtfully.

_There's something odd about this. Call it a gut feeling, but why do I get the feeling that I'm missing something? From the story that Baroach told us, he described Soren as a corrupt and power hungry animal, but Soren's mannerisms and skills are exceptional, and easily overtake Baroach's… That other man was clueless about my identity, and dismissed Makoto and Ami with a superiority complex! All he cared about was Rei. _The goal of their mission came floating back to mind. _All we came here to do was negotiate, but none of us suspected that a war had already broken out! We want minimum bloodshed, and control… I understand that. But I truly believe that Rei would never strike a deal with a corrupt man, even if it were the easiest way to conquer a planet. If only she were here…_

"Would you consider joining the Inner Alliance?"

"Join the Inner Alliance?" Soren exclaimed in astonishment. "Why would you ask us? I thought the Martian ruler had already gone to ask Baroach."

"She is not a fool!" Minako firmly stressed. "Though I do not know her immediate plan of action, I have confidence that she will not impulsively sign a suspicious agreement. Mr. Baroach has told her his side of the story, but since she is not here, let me hear yours in her place!"

There was a mutter throughout the room. Soren raised his hand, and ordered for silence.

"Yes, I've heard what he has told you about us. He said that we betrayed Sir Haruka, and planned a mutiny and kidnapped her. He told you that we were the ones who wronged our leader." Soren's green eyes flashed. The mere indignant thought had also set the room ablaze with rekindled battle-fire. Minako could sense the restlessness in the atmosphere. "And you're saying that you would trust us?"

Minako met his eyes again. "I am saying that I will hear you out. Please let me hear your side of the story."

She was secretly relieved to see that seething anger in the man's eyes die down.

"All right…" Soren drew a sword from his waist and showed it to her. "If you must know, it all started because of this."

"Because of that sword...?"

Minako wasn't blind to see that there was nothing common about this metal; it greatly reminded her of the sword Rei carried around. However, unlike the Martian sword, Uranus's sword possessed two strips of solid gold that narrowed down the center of the blade from the T-shaped hilt. Along the two gold pieces was another, thinner piece of green that outlined the gold, and between these lines there were golden symbols engraved into the metal.

_Wait--those markings...!_

Minako instantly recognized them- -she had seen them glowing on the pillars outside of the palace entrance._  
_  
"Yes. As you probably already know, whoever holds this blade can activate the spells on the palace entrance and seal the building off from outside forces. Once it's seal, nothing can get in and nothing can get out." He held it upright with its tip lightly balanced on the floor, allowing the light above to shine upon it and gave his comrades a good look at their coveted treasure.

_So I was right! This is the sword Baroach was talking about! _Minako realized.

"Regardless of what Baroach had told you we did not kidnap Sir Haruka."

_What?!_

"Please pardon me if this sounds rude, but… if this Sir Haruka wasn't kidnapped then does this mean that you don't know of your ruler's whereabouts...at all?"

"That is correct. Unfortunately, one day she just disappeared. Without any word or warning, she was gone."

"I see." _So much for the kidnapping theory. _"Please, continue… What happened, as you were saying?"

"It started long before our ruler's disappearance. One day, he approached the palace asking for a chance to redeem himself and his people. Baroach grovelled on the floor, begging Sir Haruka for a way to improve relations between us and our former folk. Needless to say, his wish was granted, and he took an oath. He swore his loyalty!"

Minako flinched upon hearing the bitterness in his voice.

"Our leader was more than gracious enough to allow him to share the position of commander with me. At first I dismissed my suspicions for foolish jealously, and forced myself to work alongside with him. But it then became one thing after another, and my suspicions grew. Over time, we allowed his people to move back from the lower lands to our city. We watched them as they took up residence and mingle with our citizens. They all looked happy, and everything seemed to be going very well. But then…Shortly after that, out of the blue, Baroach began to inquire about the spells at the palace entrance."

"_Say, I've always been meaning to ask you this Soren, but what's with those funny markings on these walls?"_

"_..."_

"_Ah. Oh, c'mon! After all we've been through, you still don't trust me? I thought we were friends."_

"Hah… and that's how he came to know about Uranus's sword. It's kept in the palace vault when our leader was not in battle." Soren trained his eyes on the shining blade. In his mind he could see the images playing across its reflective surface. "I must admit... That was a mistake on my part."

_The ambush came immediately after Sir Haruka's disappearance. In the middle of the night, there was uproar in the city of Caelus. The air rang with screams and pleas for help! I was on guard that night. When I heard the noise I ran to look from a city-facing balcony, and what I saw were the people of the lower lands--they had taken up their swords and began to purge the city! Before my very eyes, our people were being forced into chains! Those who resisted were killed on the spot._

_I ran with everything I had to the vault. I had to get there before Baroach did. By the time I arrived I instantly spotted the traitorous scum scouring the place himself. I will never forget that look of surprise, and hatred, when I stole the sword right out of his very grasp._

"That was all I was able to retrieve though. I couldn't take back the city... I could not set my people free from their chains, nor could I completely keep the palace from his control. But with those who've managed to flee, we re-grouped and formed what you see now. The people here have either infiltrated with me, or were caught and forced to become servants. Everyone who is apparently not of 'his kind', are either fit for servant duty or are left to rot in the dungeons."

"I see." Minako replied, letting the man know that he still had her full attention.

"When we heard that the Inner Alliance was approaching we considered making contact. However, Baroach, as you probably now know, had taken full control over our communication's system. He keeps it heavily guarded."

"So you thought for the worst and prepared your forces for battle. You wished to go out fighting."

"Yes. After all, I took an oath and swore to guard my home and this sword to my last dying breath! But as things are now… it would be far easier for the Inner Alliance to join with Baroach. I fear he may resort to using the other diplomats as ransom if the Martian leader is uncooperative. I doubt that even she is completely invincible to treachery... There is a chance that you may end up fighting us in the end."

Minako closed her eyes for a moment, carefully taking it all in. Yes, she supposed it all made sense now--certainty much more than the story of the ruler's people planning a mutiny. It was clear that Soren's group was still loyal to their leader, and her heart went out to them. However, Soren had made a valid point. All four of them, Ami, Makoto, Rei and herself, they were all still within Baroach's sphere of influence. It was difficult to assess whether their troops would be able to arrive in time if a fight did break out. After all, they were far away from the city where the majority of their soldiers were now likely stationed. It placed them all within a precarious situation.

_If something were to happen to my friends, I don't know what I'd do. Rei... She's in there all alone. And Ami and Makoto... there were so many soldiers in the halls! Even if they're Goddesses, would they be able to fight them all off by themselves? _

In her heart, Minako knew that there was no way she could save all of her friends on her own. She would need help.

"That is true," Minako said slowly.

Everyone secretly held their breaths.

"However... After hearing your side of the story, and having met both parties, I would still like to extend this offer to you. Please join the Inner Alliance!"

It was more than Soren's people could have hoped for. But the offer was too wonderful, how could no one have any suspicions?

"Wait…H-How do we know we can--?" Celeste began behind her.

"Trust me?" Minako immediately intervened and looked the other woman in the eye. Celeste was expecting a flash of anger or perhaps an indignant air in the diplomat's blue eyes, but she was surprised to see nothing but determination and compassion. "As I have said, my companions are not foolish children. They are not even normal diplomats for that matter! Especially the leader of Mars..." She turned to face Soren once again. "If we hurry, we can prevent Baroach from carrying out his under-handed tactics. Once I meet up with my comrades, I will speak to them of our agreement. This, I give you my word. And if my word is not good enough, _you_ may hold my life for ransom."

_I just want to see Rei again… _

And this time it was truly a sight to behold. The diplomat of Venus bowed _her_ head!

_Please help me._

Soren walked up to Minako, and then did something odd himself. He lightly bopped the top of her head with his fist.

"Hey, none of that now...I believe you. Sir Haruka had always stressed that it isn't always appearance and blood that ties a family. You told us the truth about yourself, and believed in us… so although you come from a different planet, please feel free to consider yourself as one of us now." Minako looked up in time to Soren raise Uranus's sword high into the air. "Fellow Brothers and Sisters! Here and now you have witnessed our agreement! With my authority as Commander, and on behalf of our leader, Uranus, we now swear our allegiance to the Inner Alliance! Let us take back our home!"

The crowd cheered.

**RAAAAAAAAH!**

Soren then pointed out two men closest to him.

"You two, go send word to Kali! Tell her of our agreement with the Inner Alliance, and to attack the prison as soon as possible; break out as many as we can. We're going to go full out this time!"

"Yes sir!" They saluted, and hurried away.

"Once we've assigned our divisions and determine our battle strategy we will commence the attack," Soren informed Minako. "In the meantime, Celeste will escort you to one of the servant chambers. We will send a messenger to inform you when we are ready to depart. I would suggest keeping a low profile until then. There are already many soldiers in this place, and Baroach will likely increase security now that the diplomats and the Martian ruler are within his sphere of influence."

"All right, I understand." She nodded.

"Don't worry! I'll take good care of you." Celeste slung a free arm over Minako's shoulders and winked. "We'll get your friends out of here before you know it. We always keep our word!"

"Mm… And so do I."

**

* * *

**

**Next up in HFD Ch. 11: Conquering Uranus!: Negotiation**

**Baroach… Rei gets a surprise to see that he is indeed a man of his word. But what is it that she finds out? And what will she do when she is faced with an ultimatum: your friends and your life, or an alliance agreement? Hoping to help Rei make the 'right' decision, the True Wind Clan locks her up in a 'cozy' prison cell.**

**Meanwhile, Soren finally makes his move and a new force arrives at the scene of the prisons.**

**Meet Kali Auranos, a third rank commander who spares nothing in making a grand entrance!  
****  
-Prison-**

**KABOOM!**

**Cement and debris was sent flying everywhere. Where a solid, impenetrable wall once stood was a gaping hole. Though there were many startled faces, they soon lit up with joy at the sight of one in particular. There at the newly created entranceway stood a short haired blonde, with blazing green eyes.**

"_**This is it! Today we will take back what is ours!" The woman called to her people. "Those who can fight, come with me. The rest of you, ill, weak, wounded, too young or elderly, our troops will move you to a safe location until the battle is over."**_

"_**And you are?"**_** Rei questioned.**

"_**Hm?"**_** The woman finally took notice of the Martian, and gave her a long, hard stare. For a moment it appeared that she was drawing a blank, but then her eyes suddenly lit up in recognition. **_**"Say… you wouldn't happen to be the leader of Mars, would you?"**_

"_**What's it to you?"**_

"_**Nice to meet you! From here on out, we'll be working together."**_


	11. Conquering Uranus!: Negotiation

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sailor Moon.

**A/N:** A slightly long chapter. I've also decided to try something else out here. When you see three 'bolded' dots, it will indicate a flashback. And… yeah. Enjoy!

**

* * *

**

_**Creeeeeak**_

Celeste opened the door just a crack and peered into the hallway. She glanced both ways, and from she could see, at least, the woman was pretty sure that they were in the clear (many of other members remained behind and continued on with the meeting). But for the sake of being extra cautious, she shooed a wisp of air down the two paths. Only until both streams returned with their reports did she finally give the go ahead and gestured for Minako to follow her away from the busy crowd.

"This way," She waved.

"Mm." Minako nodded.

**Tup… tup… tup…**

**Tup… tup… tup…**

The path that they were travelling along was quickly changing. Deeper into the servant headquarters was an underground maze of stone-made tunnels. It was significantly darker-- at times, the two women would come upon sections where they were forced to feel their way along the wall (well, Minako had to anyway. She could hear her guide breeze through without a problem, quite literally). Getting a little impatient as she watched her companion made distance on her, the Venusian stubbornly began to let go of the wall and decided to charge her way out. She may have gotten somewhere if she hadn't tripped from the first step and smacked back into the wall.

The humming ahead of her stopped. "Lady Venus? Is everything all right?"

"Juuuuust peachy." Minako mumbled as she rubbed her poor nose. It was always the nose, wasn't it? She could feel her companion's curious stare. "I'm fine, really!"

She heard the humming begin again. With a sigh, Minako forced herself to make a speedy gain on her composure. She had only been down here for a few minutes, but she was already getting sick of it. In fact, she chalked it up as one big disappointment. Where was the marble, the carpets or the portraits? Where was the scent of fresh air? Here, underground, there was essentially nothing. It was just a dark, dank, miserable place.

_This place is almost like a prison. Is this really the servant's quarters? But how can they possibly live down here? _Minako's gaze scaled the bare walls and traveled along the ground that they walked upon but it all looked the same to her. Everything felt so closed in and crowded.

"Hey, about earlier...? I'm really sorry about that…"

"Huh? W-What are you apologizing for?" Minako nearly jumped when the other woman suddenly spoke up. Celeste silently took a few extra steps forward before she turned around to face her guest.

"Well… For one, I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions." The third commander admitted slowly. Her gaze fell to the floor in mixed embarrassment and shame. "It's exactly as Soren said-- I should have noticed that you were different. To be honest, I just assumed that you were one of our recruits because of your appearance. A mistake of that caliber on the battlefield could put people in danger! But it's not like I'm unhappy that you got to meet Soren—I am! It's just, the way that it happened. Do you kinda get what I'm saying?"

"Yeah, but we all make mistakes sometimes right? And it really wasn't your fault. I mean, your people rarely receive visitors from Venus right?"

"That's true. But that's another reason why I wanted to apologize. I wish you didn't have to see us like this-- cowering away down here in the midst of a civil war. Things weren't always like this. If only you could have seen it before Sir Haruka had disappeared…"

"Hmm...Well, you could always tell me about it." Minako suggested with a smile. She was glad to see the other woman start to smile back shyly.

"Actually, I know what I can do! I can just show you! You see, there's a wind chamber further down below. Since it may take awhile before everyone's ready, we can sneak down there for a bit to pass the time. They always take forever anyway. What do you think? Would you like to see it?"

"Well, I kinda do... but... didn't Soren tell us to keep a low profile? Do you think it'll be safe?"

"Of course it is! We're pretty far down, so the chances of anyone finding us are pretty slim. Besides, it's a lot better than this place."

_Oh._

"Okay. Well, when you put it that way, then sure, why not?" Minako gave a nervous laugh. _At least she seems enthusiastic about it…_

(Wind Chamber)

Minako wasn't sure what to expect. When Celeste first mentioned the wind chamber, the first thing that came to mind was a giant tunnel filled with vicious, swirling winds. But the diplomat quickly found out that she wasn't completely wrong-- it actually was a nicer place than the stone maze.

When both women exited one of the narrowing paths into the chamber, the first thing Minako noticed was how fresh the air was. It wasn't heavy or damp smelling, but light and clean. If it were possible, she could have sworn it was purer than the air above the surface; her entire body felt alive and was tingling with energy.

**Wooooooooosh…**

"Oh wow…" Minako breathed. She had to briefly cover her eyes from the initial brightness. It wasn't until her eyes adjusted that she was able to understand why Celeste was so insistent on coming to this place.

The wind chamber was a large, spacious room, whose ceiling arched so high up that one could not see the roof above. On the lower floor, a few steps down from where they stood, there were marble statues of various people Minako had never seen before. Some of the figurines resembled warriors brandishing swords and bows, while others took on more cultured and dignified poses. However, there were two in particular that really caught the diplomat's eye; near the middle of the room, by a large, floating sphere there were two miniature figurines of very opposite looking women. One statue was shaped in the form of a long legged figure. She possessed wild, short hair and wore a suit of armor, while the one that sat beside it almost embodied a gentler, noble soul-- she was a woman with flowing, shoulder-length hair. Unlike her companion, she catered to a refined culture and wore a long, thin dress.

Perhaps it was because of the strange atmosphere, but Minako took a step forward into the room, almost mesmerized, and blindly stepped into something wet.

**Sploosh!**

"Ah!" She recoiled in surprise. "Wha-What is--?! O-Oh... It's just water?" She splashed a handful aside, confirming her suspicions.

_But what's water doing in a place like this?_

Against the white background, the liquid blended in perfectly. She knew that Rei would likely laugh at her if the woman ever found out, so it was a good thing that she never would.

"Oops, sorry...! I guess I should have warned you about that," Celeste called out. She had already made it across the room and now stood by the floating orb. "That wasn't always there, so don't feel bad. I used to always fall into it too. You get used to it after awhile though."

"G-Great…" Minako shivered. _Not that I want to get used to it._ She didn't want to get soaked again anytime soon. "Umm… so, how do I get over to you without…?"

"Hold on, I'll fix that in a sec." Celeste momentarily turned her back to her guest and concentrated down on the floating orb. She held her palms out to the object and began to whisper incantations under her breath. The orb responded immediately. In a blink of an eye the white texture of the room was altered, and it now gave off a blue glow. The streams flowing around the hard floor were suddenly visible.

"There, that should do it. Can you see things better?"

"Yes, thank you." This time she was easily able to cross the room. "So… what did you want to show me?"

"This." Again the orb began to vibrate. "When you suggested about telling you what our planet used to be like, it hit me! Like I said, I can just show you! With this! While Mercury has their technology to tell them the on-goings of their people, and Mars has their soldiers (we used to do that too)… we now use the wind. Everything that happens on our planet is recorded by this system through the use of wind cycles. You see, there are certain mainstreams of air that circulate around our planet and they all cycle past the palace constantly. This machine here can show projections of the past by re-creating the same wind vibrations of the event during that day."

With that, Celeste summoned an image. Before Minako's eyes appeared a different view of the capital city of Caelus. The buildings appeared very much the same, but the streets were covered with troops in Uranus's golden armor. It greatly reminded Minako of her visit on Mars.

"It looks like there's some sort of celebration,"Minako wondered aloud.

"This was what it was like when our former ruler was in power." Celeste pointed to the front of the crowd. One could see a younger version of Soren standing at the front with the former Uranus and the God's young heir. The young heir however didn't look very impressed with the festivities. In fact, she looked rather bored. "There's Soren standing on his right, and our current ruler to his left. This was her in her younger days. Sir Haruka really doesn't seem too happy, does she?"

"Haruka? She?" Minako thought she had heard people address Uranus's ruler as female, but she usually brushed it aside due to bad hearing. After encountering the wind ruler in the battlefield, she swore she looked like a _he_.

"That's our ruler's name. And yeah, she's a GIRL."

_Seriously?!_

Celeste laughed a little at seeing Minako's confused expression. "It's hard to believe when you first see her, I know… but it's another thing you get used to after awhile. I've known her for a long time now, since way back when we used to live on the streets together."

"You used to live on the streets…?"

The images from the sphere began to change once more.

"Mm. Our former ruler had a war-thirsty attitude that could have rivalled Mars's ruler, Ares. As far back as I can remember, our planet was always at war with the red planet and many of us were orphaned because of it. It wasn't uncommon back then to see orphans joining the military or struggling on the streets…" In a quieter voice, she then said, "I remember how Haruka used to get so angry about it. She used to hate Uranus. Because of that... we would often get into fights with our own soldiers. But that's probably why the former Uranus even noticed her. That man was very competitive and extremely prideful. He could never stand the thought of being outdone by Ares. I think… that's why he took Haruka off the streets. Knowing him, once he heard the Martian ruler had picked up a girl from the streets and was raising her as a soldier from essential scratch, he wanted to do the same. It was like a challenge to him. When he first asked Haruka, she still hated him, but she only agreed to join him for my sake—I was… a very weak child back then. I was always tripping and falling down… If she hadn't come along in the first place, I might not be here today. Honestly, that's why it always made me feel guilty. She always said that it was her own choice, but sometimes I can't help but feel like I forced her into it somehow..."

"_But Haruka!"_

"_Don't try to stop me Celeste. I've already made up my mind!" The young girl shouted.  
_  
"…"

The scenery changed to show another section of the palace. It appeared to be the throne room, given its excessive decoration of furniture and jewellery.

"But I couldn't bear to let her do it by herself. So I enlisted as well. Shortly after we were recruited into the military, we met Kali and Soren."

_...Kali. _The name struck a bell to Minako. _I think Soren mentioned that she was the other person who was third in command_.

"You spoke about her earlier. If you don't mind me asking, what is she like?"

"You mean Kali? Well, where to start? She's is also a third ranked commander, we both share the position," Celeste explained. "As for what she's like… hmm… it's hard to really explain. She was almost wild when we first met her, and extremely reckless. Kinda like Haruka! So, as you can imagine, we first met her she wasn't very talkative or friendly. It really took awhile before we became friends." Celeste sighed, and shook her head. The past was the past but there were still some things that really made her think. "I think the reason that she hated us... was because Uranus had initially chosen Kali to be his heir. Soren told us all about it in private later. Apparently, Uranus thought that Kali might've had potential since she was Soren's little sister… but he soon grew tired of her and picked up Haruka instead. It might sound a little twisted, but I think he liked Haruka's hate."

"Are you serious?" _What sort of person could be so twisted to enjoy hate?_

Celeste nodded. "I used to worry about Haruka a lot after she agreed to become the heir. But strangely enough, after she started to attend the Planetary Meetings she began to change."

"Change? Like how...?" She saw her companion smile.

"Well, whenever she came back, and we were alone, she would tell Soren, Kali and me about the cookies she got to 'borrow'. We would all just laugh and laugh at her stunts... especially when she began to execute them here at home. Uranus wasn't very impressed, but Haruka was pretty careful not to get caught. It made me so happy to see her like that, smiling and laughing… It was like she finally found something important to her."

"Or perhaps a special someone?" Minako casually suggested.

"You know, we kinda thought so too. Soren and Kali would used to tease her about it so bad! The only thing that could shut them up was a threat to put them on clean-up duty."

_Clean up duty? That sounds like something Rei would do…_ Minako thought back to her visit in Mar's palace. _All those poor men were sent to clean up duty because…? Hmm… now that I think about it, what was the reason again? Nosebleeds...?_

"But you know, one day she just came back and really surprised us all. Do you know what Haruka told us?"

"Someday…"

"_Someday… I'll become the wind!"_

"She wants to become the wind…?"Minako blinked. "Is that even possible?"

Celeste merely pointed up to the new scene projected above their heads.

In the throne room, the former Uranus and his heir, Haruka, were now staring one another down. But Haruka looked different. She had considerably matured. Her dark green eyes possessed a new sort of intensity to them and her body had grown. The man who stood before her appeared to be in his mid-thirties. He was adorned in Uranus's royal armor and carried the royal sword by his waist, unlike Haruka who had none. The woman only boldly approached him as she was, without armor and with her head held high.

**…**

"_What is it girl? Why do you disturb me?"_

"_..."_

"_Speak! I am quickly losing my patience. This has better not be another one of your games; I am a busy man."_

"_All right... I'll tell you what's up. I'm here to challenge you for the throne!" She declared._

_Uranus laughed. "Are you saying that you wish to attempt the Rite of Ascension? It has never been done before and for a good reason! For a human to become a God, the human must first defeat a God." His eyes gleamed dangerously. "You are still nothing but a mere child. Do you really not see the difference between us Haruka? If I so choose, I can kill you with a single sweep of my sword!"_

_A serious expression crossed Haruka's face. The God took it as a sign that her faith was wavering._

"_Hey...You said that your sword can control the wind right?" _

"_That's right." Uranus boasted._

"_Heh." Haruka suddenly flashed a grin._ _"What kind of Ruler of the Wind… needs a sword to control it?!"_

"_What? Enough games girl, you have already wasted enough of my time."_

_But Haruka wasn't about to stop._

"_Are you going to run away? Maybe, all this time... the wind was just waiting for someone who was truly worthy!"_

_**Snap.**_

"_You dare mock me?!" Uranus drew his sword and pointed it towards Haruka. "Mark my words Haruka, I will not hesitate to kill you! But if you apologize now and beg for your life, I may pardon your actions just this once. Need I remind you that you can be replaced?"_

'_I can't back down now, and I won't!' Haruka thought to herself. 'Because… I made a promise.'_

"…_You can be replaced too."_

"_That does it!" The God thundered. "I've given you your warning, but you leave me with no choice! Regret your decision... in the afterlife!"_

**Foom… foom… **

_His sword began to_ _glow._

"_HaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAH!" Uranus swung the blade and hurled a strong wind against his heir._

**FwooooooooOOSH!**

_But Haruka didn't flinch. She didn't even lift a finger to shield herself from the deadly blast. She didn't have to-- the attack was easily overcome by a different surge of air. Wind currents from outside suddenly converged down towards the palace and smashed through the surrounding windows, raining glass shards down into the area. The guards all shouted and ducked down, covering their heads. _

_**Rumble, rumble, rumble…**_

_The palace shook as the wind barrier picked up around Haruka, effectively turning the tides of battle. Before the God could comprehend what was happening, his attack was flung back him with an unstoppable force._

"_W-What? NO! It's...Errrrg- Impossible!"_

_**WOOOOO----------OOOSH—CrAsh!**_

"_GaaaAAAAAAAH!"_

_As Uranus fell to his knees, the air around Haruka died down until it released the building from its thunderous grip. However it never completely faded; it stayed with its chosen master and pulsed as a thin layer around her body protectively._

"_Game over, I win." Haruka remarked._

"_N-No…" Uranus gasped. But Haruka ignored him as she went to pick up the former God's sword._

_Almost immediately the wind leapt from her and swarmed Uranus, encircling him until it stripped him of his royal armor—almost instantly all of the magical metal was removed and replaced onto a more worthy individual. There was a bright flash of a light that lit the area before it finally faded and revealed Haruka, the former heir of Uranus, standing before the man not as a mere human any longer, but a Goddess._

"_Damn you...! How could this happen?!" Uranus cursed. But he knew he had been defeated. His wounds were not healing, presenting further proof that he was now mortal. If he were lucky, time would soon ravage his body and turn him into an old, feeble man without any power whatsoever. If he was not, then the only option that remained was death. Facing these two possible outcomes made him wonder if there was any point in living._

"_Geh… fine, I acknowledge that you've gotten stronger. Go ahead and kill me. But you better do it right child!"_

"_No." Haruka turned her back and began to walk away from the man._

"_What?! Come back here and finish the job!"_

"_You've lived as a God for your entire existence, cursing and ridiculing humanity for their weakness. Is death truly appropriate for you? Heh, I think you should give living a try. Experience the mortal life and see what your citizens see, feel what they feel, and for once, truly know vulnerability."_

"_Haruka!!!"_

**…**

The image faded to an overview of the city of Caelus, but it had changed once more. There were scarcely any soldiers on the streets. Instead, they were replaced by playing children. Whole families were outside helping one another with daily choirs and small outdoor classes were being held.

"After Haruka became ruler, she placed a minimum limit on our soldier recruiting age. No one under ten may even be considered. As a result, enrolment has gone down and the amount of wars we actively engaged in dropped in number. The way Haruka justified it was that we were people of the wind. We should be free, not shackled down by chains of war and bloodlust. From then on, we only entered a war to help boost our economy, such as the last battle against Mars. Other than that… well, it was what you saw before you." Celeste waved her hand and the orb's intensity died down, distorting the images until they disappeared finally. "Soren tried his best to cover for what happened after Haruka disappeared. I can only hope that she comes back soon, for everyone's sake. If only we knew if she was all right…"

"Hey, I'm sure she is." Minako tried to cheer the woman up. "She'll probably come back soon and the civil war will be over. Then things can go back to the way they used to be."

"The war…" Celeste finally sat down on the nearest marble step with Minako following close behind her. "Hey...Lady Venus? Can I tell you something?"

"Sure. And please, Minako is fine."

"...Minako. All right, I'll remember that." She paused.

"So, as you were saying?"

"Well. Please don't tell anyone this, but… this whole situation kinda scares me." She admitted quietly.

"The war, you mean?"

"Mm." Celeste nodded. "I can't tell anyone else this, because I'm a third ranked commander-- I'm supposed to be strong when the people are weak, even when I don't feel like it. But lately, I don't know...for something reason, I've been feeling really scared. Ever since that night Baroach had betrayed us, I've been worrying that I might screw up. I really trusted him." She shook her head. "First him, and then Haruka...I don't want to lose Soren or Kali next!" All her held back emotions were coming to the surface, but she couldn't hold them back any longer. "Especially Soren..."

"You really care about him, huh?"

"Wha—h-hey! I mean, n-not in that way!" Celeste quickly waved her arms. Her cheeks were burning bright red. "At least, he doesn't see me that way …"

"Oh? Why do you say that?"

"He's just always busy. He's strong, loyal, trustworthy…I mean, everyone looks up to him. He's the kind of guy who will sacrifice his life for his home and our leader. And I don't want it to come to that. That's why I sometimes wish I was more like Kali. She's so incredibly brave and strong... It's almost like she doesn't worry about this sort of thing as much I do."

"But if you were more like her, then you wouldn't be you anymore." Minako put it simply. "If someone really cares about you, then they'd love you for who you are. Besides, you are brave. You just have a different way of showing it."

_Although… I think Rei would probably wish that I was less klutzy and loud, and uhh…_

"Do you have someone you like Minako?"

Minako blinked. "Wha-a-aaa? W-Well, you see-- it's kind of complicated."

"So you do! That's great! What are they like?" Minako could only stare in disbelief at the smiling woman beside her. The spotlight had shifted so suddenly! "Please? I told you who I liked! Besides, you wouldn't be ashamed to talk about them, are you…?"

"No, it's nothing like that. But, hmm… but it's kind of hard to know where to start." She scratched her cheek a little.

"Anywhere is fine."

"All right... Then, umm…First of all, they are VERY stubborn."

"Stubborn?"

"Yeah, they have a very short temper. Or at least, when it comes to me they seem to anyway."

"Oh wow. Don't you ever get scared?"

"No. I laugh."

Celeste tilted her head, looking confused.

"I told you it was complicated." Minako reminded her. "You see, they make a bunch of funny faces whenever they lose their cool. So I laugh. Sometimes they would growl and tell you to stop, but the best way to deal with it is to give them a BIG hug! Then they would squirm and get all embarrassed! It's quite cute actually."

"Yeah...? Well, I guess I'd have to take your word for it."

_Though, I'm pretty sure I'd be scared! Minako sure is one brave woman._ Celeste secretly thought.

"But underneath all that… they're very kind-hearted. I think many people miss that part of them because they're easily swayed by first impressions. Even when I first met them, I wasn't sure what to think. But, as we started to spend more time together, I beginning to see sides to them that I couldn't see before. They're loyal, dependable, protective, caring… Whenever I'm with them, I'm happy! It's like my heart feels like it's going to burst! Especially when we hold hands…" She said quietly.

_I don't think it's a simple love anymore. I think... I might actually be…_

"How touching."

Both women jumped. When they turned towards the voice, their eyes widened when they spotted the figure by the chamber entrance.

"Baroach?!" Minako was stunned. Suddenly the room, the wind and the water, everything, had fallen silent._  
_  
"Impossible!" Celeste leapt to her feet. "We're deep inside the servant's quarters! How did you manage to get this far without anyone noticing you?" She demanded.

"Tsk, tsk, my dear Celeste. Haven't you learned anything over these last few years? Nothing is impossible for me" He walked forward to reveal a group of soldiers in black armor behind him. "Of course, perhaps… I didn't quite make it without being noticed, but that's another story."

It was then that the noises of fighting drifted into the room. There was a fight going on!

Immediately Celeste whipped out her twin daggers from her side pouches. "I'm warning you, Baroach, stay back! Don't make me fight you!"

**Tup… tup…**

"You'd dare raise your weapons against an old friend? I also see that you've decided to drop the formality. That's rather rude of you, considering that you're speaking to a superior."

The woman tensed. "Stop it. You stopped being my superior from the moment you betrayed us. Why did you do it Baroach?! You always told us that it was your dream for the people of the upper and lower lands to live together in harmony! Isn't that why you pleaded with Sir Haruka to let you stay?"

The man was silent.

"I thought we were all friends! We trusted you! Didn't any of that mean anything to you?"

"...Hmph. I really thought that you were more competent than this, but it looks like I was wrong. You should see yourself right now. You're so emotional...! Even without Soren around, your head is still in the clouds. Is that really any way a commander should behave?" He heard the woman gasp. "To put it simply... if you still don't understand then you never will. But that's enough chit-chat, _soldier._ If you wish to leave this place unharmed, then I strongly suggest that you stay out of this. My business is with Mars's servant, not you. Something's come up and I require her assistance."

"Where's Rei…?" Minako whispered. She couldn't see the Martian anywhere.

"Rei...? Is that her name?"

"Where is she?!"

"What are you planning to do with her?" Celeste had recovered and resumed a defensive stance.

"Well, you see... the Martian ruler is proving to be a little difficult. So I needed something to convince her otherwise."

"...You want to use me as bait."

"That's right."

At first, Minako was at a loss for words. But then to everyone's surprise, she flipped a handful of hair over her shoulder and chuckled.

"Well, good luck with that. Remember _Sir _Baroach, I am only a maid. What value am I to a ruler? I can be easily replaced." She gave a convincing laugh, and received a strange backward glance from Celeste. Though a part of herself couldn't help but wonder how much of it was true. How much did she mean to Rei?

"That's what the Martian said as well. I had almost believed her… But when I revealed my plans to the stubborn fool, look what happened." He lifted the sleeve of his left arm and unravelled a large bandage to reveal a long, deep gash that extended from the base his hand, up to his elbow. "Apparently it appears that you actually do mean something to her."

_Rei…_ _You mean, __I actually…?_

"That was right before she was easily subdued. It wasn't much of a fight." He laughed.

Minako gasped. Her whole body was suddenly shaking.

"Don't listen to him Minako! It's just another one of his lies!" Celeste shouted to her.

"Celeste my dear, you wound me. What would Soren say if he knew--"

"SHUT UP!" In a blink of an eye she shot forward with killer intent. "I'll take you down right here you traitor!"

_I can't be afraid now!_

**TUP!**

As she anticipated, many of the soldiers raced forward to cut down the approaching threat. Yet each and every one of them was met with a surprise; a dagger, a kick, or their own comrade's sword!

"Hold still!"

**Slash!**

"Gaaaah!"

**Whop!**

"Oof!"

"Why you---eh?"

**Clank!**

"Idiot!"

"Hey-! Hit her, not me!"

Baroach narrowed his eyes as she closed the gap. "Uhh---!"

**TUP!**

Celeste had leapt up and was spiralling down towards him, daggers posed. _He's not moving?! _Time suddenly seemed to slow down. The wind howled in her ears as she twisted her upper body and whipped her daggers at him, one to his head and one aimed at his upper chest. To her astonishment, neither attack contacted the target-- in fact they both went right through the man as if he was composed of air.

_What?!_ _Oh no, it's an illusion?!_

"Celeste! Watch out!" Minako cried.

The commander barely turned her head in time to see the guard directly behind the image holding the device. But it was too late. The woman fumbled to recover, narrowly evading the soldier's blade as she felt it skim across her cheek. She grunted, alarm bells sounding in her head. She was already falling backwards when a metallic boot crashed into the back of her skull from behind and knocked her straight into the nearest waterway.

**Crack!**

"AHH!"

_**Roll----**_

**Splash!**

"Ahahahaha!" Jeers of laughter followed.

"Celeste!" Minako screamed, but the other woman lay motionless.

_She isn't---! No, she can't be dead! _A thin trickle of blood ran down the side of Celeste's face and dripped into the clear water beneath her, discolouring it.

"What was that?" One of the guards huffed, trying to appear under control. Only three of the group remained standing.

"The third commander I think," answered the man holding the projector device.

"No matter, she's now out of our way." Baroach pointed out. "Now, let us resume our conversation before we were so rudely interrupted." His image stepped towards Minako once more.

"Stay back!" Briefly her blue eyes flashed back to Celeste's downed form. "I have no interest in hearing anymore of your lies!"

"Oh? So you're saying you'd rather not know what has become of your precious master?"

_She's so much like Auranos. _Baroach mused. _Stubbornly loyal, and so… noble. Ha! She even has the same look in her eyes. It's a shame that the child won't join me._

"What did you do...?"

"All I did was introduce her to our leader."

**…**

_(En route to the 'Meeting Room')_

_**Tup… tup… tup…**_

_Rei and Baroach had left the large gathering room via the left path. For the longest time, the man led her in silence across the palace-- nothing suspicious as far as Rei was concerned. However, they soon came to a stop within a peculiarly, empty wing. Baroach stepped forward and activated a hidden switch, instantly revealing a small, hidden doorway in the wall. Judging by the color camouflage and its moving mechanisms, Rei had to admit that she had never seen this secret passageway before (it came as a shock because she thought her and Haruka had already discovered them all). Regardless, she found herself staring at a staircase that headed somewhere underground._

"_After you...?" Baroach offered._

"_The guide should always walk ahead."_

"_Yes, as you wish, your Majesty..." He gave another slight bow._

_The Martian cautiously tread behind her guide, watchful for any sudden movements. The tunnel was too narrow, and dim lighted for her liking. She could barely make out Baroach's back, let alone the next step._

_As the two people continued to descend they soon encountered the faint fragrance of a putrid stench in the air, followed by an unshakable cold. Rei's first reaction was to cover her nose with her hand—what was down here? It smelt worse than blood, and more vulgar than hundreds of rotting corpses on a battlefield. It if were plausible, she would have guessed that it was a combination of both._

'_How can that be…?' She questioned herself. They were getting closer to the smell, but all she could make out was the rock all around them. For a moment she considered challenging Baroach of his intentions, yet it irked her how unaffected the man appeared. Didn't he smell it too? Didn't he feel the cold? She decided to endure it for now. She had no intention of appearing weak now._

_**Tup… tup…**_

'_It's getting stronger…' Rei tried to hold her breath._

_**Wooooooooooosh…**_

_**Tup.**_

_They had finally reached the bottom. Yet to Rei's surprise, the air was surprisingly clean down here. The smell was practically non-existent._

"_Sir Uranus is waiting just up ahead." Baroach informed her._

"_Why is he down here?" Rei replied crossly._

"_Hm? You mean you really have to ask? Well, I'm sure that you are familiar with the concept of assassination, correct? Unlike Sir Haruka, Sir Uranus is no longer a God. He is mortal, just like myself. If he were to die at the hands of the rebels, a civil war would surely break out. That's why, when he is not attending to public matters he retreats to this underground hideaway."_

"_I see."_

"_Please, it just this way..."_

_As the dark-haired man led Rei further into the maze, the woman thought she glimpsed movement in the cell beside her. Was it a strange reflection of the light perhaps? She highly doubted it as there wasn't much lighting down here to begin with. None of the candles lining the walls were lit. Her thoughts drifted back to the moments on the cliff and in the Great Hall earlier. There was that same, watchful feeling. Vaguely she knew that Baroach was slipping farther away from her, obviously he didn't appear too worried if she got lost, so she decided to overlook it for now but to remain on guard. If something should happen, she would deal with it then. _

_It wasn't too much longer before Baroach abruptly halted in front of another door. With one smooth motion, he had taken a key out of his armor and unlocked the cell door. The door swung aside with a groan of protest, opening the way to what Rei presumed to be her final destination._

"_If you will...?" He gestured inside._

_The raven-haired woman silently approached the area and waited just between the gate and the room. Her amethyst eyes swept across the darkness, but nothing could be clearly made out. As far as she was concerned, it was empty._

"_Sir Baroach... There seems to have been a mistake. It appears that this room is empty."_

'_Hmph.'_

"…_Gotcha."_

_**Flash--**_

_A glint of metal flew Rei's way but she was ready for it. The woman sprung into action and unsheathed her sword. She parried the attack and sent the force flying upwards. The sound of their clashing blades could be heard echoing all the way down the corridor._

_**Tzing!**_

"_I knew it! HaaaaaaAh!" The Martian swung her sword again, forcing him back into a nearby wall. "This was another one of your lies!"_

"_A lie you say? What makes you so sure of that?!" He rolled along the wall as the woman's sword narrowly missed him._

"_Don't give me that! Haruka would never allow herself to be kidnapped! You really expected me to believe that her people would plan a mutiny? If anyone would betray her, it would be you!"_

_**Crash!**_

"_So... you knew all of that, but you still decided to come with me anyway? Alone? Maybe the real fool is you!" Baroach grinned back despite the assault. Their swords met once more, but Rei became alarmed by the man's awkward movements. For some unknown reason, Baroach was doing everything in his power to avoid stepping into one corner of the room._

"_Raaaaar!"_

_**Tzing!**_

_**Ting!**_

_**Crach!**_

_**Sssh!**_

_Rei spun around and roundhouse kicked the man in the side._

_**WHOMP!**_

"_GaaaaaaH---!" He bent over to the side of the injured area. As soon as the pain hit him, he knew it hadn't been an ordinary attack-- the blow had broken through his armor and directly struck him in the ribs. "P-Pretty good." He clutched his side and wobbled back. "But... I think that's enough fun for me. You can keep going if you want though. That is, if you don't value the life of your servant."_

'_Minako?!' Rei froze mid-strike and instead, restored the distance between them._

_**Tup!**_

"_That's right, your precious maid, your Majesty. We are holding her and your diplomat comrades captive. So I would strongly suggest that you put down your sword and get down to the 'negotiating'."_

_Rei stood there in silence, listening carefully to everything Baroach was presenting to her._

_Baroach, on the other hand, struggled to read his opponent. The lack of light made it nearly impossible for him to see if his words were actually having any effect on the Martian Ruler. She was a barbarian after all. All Martians were._

"_What we want is the Inner Alliance's cooperation. If you help us to wipe out the rebels, then we will return your comrades to you, unharmed."_

_He was surprised when she started to laugh._

"_Hahahaha... And you were planning to use WHAT again, to persuade me?" Rei suddenly smirked. The man could have sworn that there was madness in that intimidating, hard smile. It was enough to wipe the smile away from his. Yet the next thing the woman said did a lot more than wipe his smile off his face. It nearly made his heart stop._

"_This is a joke, right? None of them mean a thing to me. In fact, I find it absolutely hilarious that you thought you could bribe me with that useless, nitwit for a girl! Don't you understand that a maid to a Martian, is just another commodity to be bought and sold? They are human slaves. Disposable, and can be easily replaced. If you were to kill her, then I would just simply just go and get myself another. However... if you are you really that keen to watch out for your best interests, I think negotiating with the diplomats would be a wiser choice. I'd pay them a 'visit' if I were you."_

"_Wha---" He barely muttered before Rei's aura surged. He was at a loss for words. "Y-You must be bluffing! You mean to tell me that you have no concern for your comrades at all?! Then why in the name of Uranus would Mars join an alliance?!"_

"_Hm? You mean you have to ask?" She said, mockingly. "It's for convenience of course! There's a lot of power involved with these alliances! Isn't that the very reason why you want our help?"_

_Oh no, Baroach wasn't about to let her get the best of him quite yet. There was still one thing that he hadn't tried._

"_Heh…I see. So I should have just skipped the barbarian and asked the diplomats instead. But since we're on the subject...since you don't seem to care for the maid, why don't you allow me to buy her from you? You said it yourself-- if she died, you could always get another. But I think killing her would be somewhat of a waste. She has quite the body. She could probably reach her full potential by bedding with a man, instead of slaving away for you. What's your price?"_

"_..."_

"_Actually, now that I think about it, where did you find her?"  
__**  
**__**Vsh!**_

"_Huh?" Baroach had barely blinked when his opponent vanished from sight. The next thing he knew, an ominous hissing sound filled his ears._

_**SLASH!**_

_**SssssSSSH!**_

_Blood suddenly sprayed into the air, followed by an injured howl._

"_AAAAAAAAH!" Baroach held his injured arm. A long, deep gash ran along from the base of his hand up to his elbow. Blood spilt everywhere but he had received his reply. "Ah—ha….hah…hahahaha! So... you do care." He painfully turned around to face the barbarian who dared to injure him._

"_Say it again," She said coldly. "…And I'll kill you."_

_**DOOOOOM!**_

_Baroach staggered back into one of the brick walls with a victorious smile beaming on his face. Without hesitating he slammed his fist against a certain brick and sent it crashing to the floor. Instantly an alarm went off. The lights above flashed a menacing red amongst the howling beckon as the series of clanking footsteps drew nearer to where they stood._

"_You can try and fight them if you want, but I would advise against it."_

"_Oh?" Rei's eyes flashed._

"_I said I was a man of my word, and I am. You wanted to meet our 'leader'… so there he is!" He pointed to a dark corner. Rei felt her eyes widen at the sight. "That's right. Until you get your act together, consider him as company."_

(Wind Chamber)

"She's still there. It's rather unfortunate that it came to this, but until she comes to her senses and agrees to our terms… Hm? Oh dear, are you about to cry?"

"You just left her there...?"

"That's right. Isn't that what I just said? I can repeat it for you if you want. I left her in a dark, smelly prison cell."

"Both Celeste…" Minako could still see her and Celeste sitting together, talking about her crush on Soren. She could still see the kind-hearted smile on the commander's face, her sadness, her worries and fears, and her last attempt to protect Minako from the intruder. "And Rei…?"

**…**_**Ping…**_

"How dare you…"

_**Ping!**_

_**Ftzz…ftzz..zzz….**_

"Hm?"

_**WoooOOOOOOSH!**_

The three remaining soldiers yelped as a blast of hot air kicked up.

"Yikes! W-What's going on?!" One of them cried. But before he could utter another word, the man's knees buckled under a sudden crushing pressure. "Agh!"

**THUD!**

"D-Damn it!"

The second soldier launched himself out in front of the man holding the projector, making a last stand against the strange force. He too, was quickly disposed of.

"Grrrrr----AHHH!" He slammed into the back far wall and collapsed, unconscious.

**Thud!**

"Sir, w-what should I do?! Should I retreat?!" The remaining soldier begged his superior. His entire body quaked with fear. He'd never felt another presence quite like it. _The air! It's getting so hot! I-I c-can't breathe…! _

Yet Baroach's projected image remained mute against his subordinate's pleas. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. In the center of the room the 'maid' was radiating some abnormal spiritual pressure around her. Even from afar, where his real body stood, he could sense its magnitude. The man deeply scowled.

_What in the name of Uranus is going on here?! How can a mere palace servant possess such power?! _His dark blue eyes narrowed in thought. As absurd as the predicament was, he knew he had felt this kind of power before. It only question was, how could an ordinary human—? The man froze.

_Unless...!_

"Haaaaaaaah!"

**Fwoooooo—CRACKLE!**

"COMMANDEEEEERR!!!!!" The last soldier crumpled to the ground and the device with him. Baroach's form flickered and disappeared just as resistance members stormed into the chamber.

**Tup!Tup!Tup!Tup!**

Soren and a handful of his trusted soldiers rounded the corner and balked at what they saw. A strong spiritual pressure disguised as a wind current fluctuated wildly within the chamber. With all of its targets already rendered helpless, there was nothing left to redirect its wraith at. So instead, it curled like a fist and blindly rammed into the side walls. The room shook and shuddered against the unnecessary violence. Even the machine at the center of the room, which had withstood strong currents for years threatened to collapse. Soren and his followers found themselves staring transfixed at the source of it all. The diplomat from Venus stood at the center of the room, her hair whipping around wildly and becoming soaked by the nearby splashing waves. She was a furious force of nature.

"Wha—Lady Venus! Please, that's enough! They've all been defeated!"

The wind continued to howl a moment longer before Minako realized that the enemy had indeed been defeated. The moment her concentration broke, the pressure died away. It had been the only thing supporting her throughout her emotional outburst, so when it disappeared she fell to her knees and coughed for air.

_Ah! What did I just? _Her blue eyes appeared unfocused as she tried to catch her breath. _What just... happened? __I remember feeling angry and then... something welled up inside. I don't know what it was, but it just kept building up. The more I thought about my friends, how useless I was, and then…Rei. I wanted to see her again. I wanted to hold hands with her again. And then, she was locked away because of me...?_

_I couldn't stop myself! It felt like something inside just snapped!_

"Lady Venus! Are you all right?" Soren was already halfway across the room when he spotted Celeste. His eyes widened upon seeing the blood. _Was I too late? _"Celeste! Celeste, can you hear me!" He immediately rushed to her side. Within seconds he slid into the water beside her, shaking her motionless body. "Celeste!"

"She took a blow to the back of head. She was trying to protect me..." Minako explained quietly. She wanted to go to her friend's side as well, but she felt somewhat ashamed and responsible for this incident. Besides, if Celeste wanted anyone to be by her side it would be Soren. "Will she be okay?"

Soren placed two fingers on Celeste's neck, checking for her pulse and then he checked her breathing. Once that was done, he felt at the back of the woman's head.

"Yes, I think so," he finally said. "She does seem to have a bit of a bump at the back of her head, but other than that, there doesn't appear to be any serious injury. But I can tell you one thing for sure. It won't do her any good staying in the water," He then carefully slipped his arms around her slim figure and grunted as he lifted her from the pool.

"Sir!" Another man rushed into the room. "Ah—Sir Celeste?! Oh no! What happened? Please Sir, allow me to take over. I can take her to first aid wing for you--"

"No. That is all right, I will handle this myself."

"But--"

"Tell the troops that I will be there as soon as I tend to her. I expect the wounded to be taken care of and those willing to fight to be mentally prepared when I arrive. Do I make myself clear?"

"S-Sir!" The recruit saluted as the second commander past him to the exit.

"Lady Venus... will you please follow me?" Soren quietly requested over his shoulder. "I would like to hear what has happened."

"All right..."

**Tup… tup…tup…**

(Rei Prison)

In the dark prison cell, Rei sighed heavily. A portion of her aura was just returning from the outside hallway, bringing with it another headache.

_Great..._ She thought, unconsciously making her signature frown. _It looks like I'm not the only one who's stuck here._ As she thought this, images of her investigation came to mind. As far as she could tell, her cell happened to be at the very end of this miserable place. The other cells that lined the labyrinth were not here for decoration either. Earlier when she had set foot into the place she remembered glimpsing movement—now she was confident that she knew what it was.

_They're keeping people prisoners down here, and a lot of them at that! All of them seem to have blonde hair and light coloured eyes, but hardly any of them are soldiers. They're all civilians!_

Somewhere in another cell a child's cries could be heard. Unknown to Rei, stationed at the front of the cell row was pair of red eyes. The slitted eyes turned in the direction of the crying, as if contemplating what to do about the strange noise, that was, until it sensed a familiar confrontational presence from earlier before. In alarm it leapt into the shadows when a breeze closed in. The crying suddenly stopped.

**…****Ping…**

Rei turned her head and peered into the darkness. Was something there? "Again…" The Martian darkly muttered and shook her head. _I don't have time for this._ She then turned her attention to her only cell occupant. His dark form twitched for a moment, and then shivered almost convulsively.

"…Erm…eh…ah…"

Rei narrowed her eyes, hardly reacting to his strange speech; Baroach had essentially explained it all. Their interesting conversation was still clear as day in the Martian's mind.

**…**

"_Uranus? He's in here?" Rei spun in her cell, eyes wide in apprehension. "You'd lock your leader in a prison cell? That's hardly what I'd call 'in hiding'."_

"_Hmm… yes, well you see that first transmission title was actually… CORRECT." Baroach grinned. He spoke more boldly now that his wound had been attended to._

"_A figurehead." It suddenly made sense. Why didn't she think of it earlier? "You used his reputation and popularity to gain support from his former subjects. Uranus was never in charge was he? You were!"_

"_Very good. You now have it all figured out. That's pretty impressive."_

"_Do your 'people' know about this?" Rei growled._

"_No."Baroach had to chuckle at that. "Many of them still believe that Sir Uranus is giving them their orders through me. It is rather convenient, though rapidly becoming unnecessary. The old man is quickly outgrowing his usefulness. He's going to die soon. And once he does, all we have to do is show his body to the people and claim that the resistance has murdered our beloved leader. That will leave me, the second in command, uncontested for the position. After all, who would be better qualified? Hah, look at it this way Mars—I'll inherit the throne legally!" He once again laughed._

"_You damn backstabbing--"_

_But Baroach was no longer intimidated by the Martian's growing rage. There was a set of bars separating them, and he had a tight grip on the fate of her comrades._

"_I wouldn't finish that if I were you. After all, once the alliance negotiation is settled you'll be working for me."_

"_I'd rather…"_

"_Die first? That's quite noble of you your Majesty, but let me tell you something. Between us, being noble only gets you so far. You'd do well to remember that." There was a bitter tone in his voice as he said this. "Why don't you ask what happens to people who defy us for too long, hm?"_

"_What are you talking about?"_

"_When I said that Uranus was here, I meant that he's in YOUR cell! Haven't you sensed him yet?"_

"_!" 'What…?' Rei slowly turned when a slight throbbing in her head started up._

**…**_**ping…**_

_She caught sight of the form and recoiled back in shock. The man before her was not what she had expected at all. She had known that he was mortal now and was alive through their investigation, but the state he was currently in-how could one really consider him 'alive'?_

_His blonde hair appeared unkempt-- it had grown very long, and in some places there were balding patches where it started to fall out. Further down, his once fair face was marred with wrinkles and sullen cheeks whereas the rest of his figure was dangerously thin. However, Rei feared more for the man's mental health. There were dark bags under his eyes. Uranus's eyes were sullen and hollow, taking on a distant, glazed appearance. What little speech that left his lips were ramblings of unknown conversations that no one knew of. And his smile (?), it was twisted and borderline insanity. The trail of drool falling down one side of his face existed as another compelling reason to believe in that argument._

"_He refused to tell us where his heir had run off to. Someone heard she had made a visit before her disappearance and well, we were forced to torture him."_

_The comment enraged her. "How are you so sure that he knew where Haruka went?! For all you know, it could have been a simple visit."_

'_Haruka would never have spared him so he could experience this!' Rei thought angrily._

"_Well, I guess when you put it that way, we don't. But if he did know, he would have surely told us by now. Isn't that right Sir Uranus?" Baroach addressed the man. The former Uranus twitched and began to mumble again between coughing fits of laughter. "At any rate, it appears that you require more time to think about your decision. Please remember that your comrades are depending on you. I'd give it some careful thought." He turned to leave. "Oh, but there's no need to worry… we will not torture you like we did with HIM. You're still useful as you are."_

"_Why you…!"_

**…**

"…Hehe… young heir, will beat Ares… for sure haha! War…must schedule next war soon…"

"…"

_What did Haruka tell him? Is it possible that he really knows where she went? _It was a long shot, but Rei decided to take it. She had already gone through enough trouble as it was to find him (though she did feel some pity for him in his current condition).

"Sir Uranus? Where is Haruka? Do you know where Haruka went?"

"H-Haruka…" A strange light flickered in his dead eyes, giving Rei some hope.

_Wait. He responded to her name? _

"Yes, Haruka. Your heir."

"Haruka… heir…" His speech became clearer for a moment.

It suddenly occurred to Rei.

_What if the people who tortured him didn't know Haruka's name? What if they only referred to her as Sir Uranus or Ruler of Uranus? Is it possible that they weren't asking the right question?_

"Do you know where Haruka went?" Rei repeated with forced patience. She was taken by surprise when the man suddenly burst out into laughter.

"HAHAHAHAHA! Yes Haruka, go do that." He bellowed. "Neptune is a perfect place to conquer! Ahahaha! A weak ruler, perfect and easy."

"She went to Neptune? Are you sure?"

"Neptune!" He snorted. The rest of his speech died down to random incoherent mutterings once more.

_So Haruka has gone to Neptune? _Rei pondered. _But to conquer it...? No, I seriously doubt it. She would never do that. If there was one reason that she would go there, it would be for the same reason that she spared this man's life. Still...it doesn't explain what happened to Michiru. The report was that they both disappeared around the same time. Could it be that something happened on Neptune and Haruka went to investigate?_

Rei finally stood up, but her eyes never left the delirious man. His words sounded strange and empty for some reason, but it couldn't mean anything right? For a moment she continued to watch him, silently contemplating her own course of action. If she wished to, she could escape right now. There was no doubt in her mind that she could. However, regardless of what she chose to do, she still left with a decision of what to do with Uranus. He was clearly out of his mind and incapable of thinking rationally, his body had already deteriorated greatly. If she left him here, there was the off-chance that Baroach's minions would return and continue to mercilessly interrogation.

_I guess there's no other choice…_ Rei slowly drew her sword.

"Listen up Sir Uranus. Haruka… never spared you so you could live like this. She never wanted this." Rei began.

Again Uranus's eyes flickered strangely. _Haruka…_ His mind was trying to recall something. As he struggled, both strange and familiar voices reached him.

**…**

"_Hey, old man! This time, I will beat you!"_

"_Haha, do you think so? You have yet to beat me. What makes you think this time will be any different?"_

"_Because--!!!"_

"_Then come Haruka! Let us see what you have learnt!"_

**…**

**Ping!**

The Martian's head shot up at the noise. The familiar coldness that had haunted them all day had returned and with vengeance. It was stronger than before and was so very close.

Immediately Rei let loose her aura and searched for it. This time, she resolved that was going to find it.

_The shadows! _The woman felt like the darkness was closing in all around them.

"Show yourself!" She cried. The raven-haired warrior was so concentrated in this presence that she allowed herself to become blind to the approaching wind.

Meanwhile Uranus's body began to convulse again, stronger than Rei had ever seen. Although the woman had no clue of what was happening (and neither did Uranus himself), his body seemed to remember.

_Haruka… _Again Uranus's mind tried to retrieve something very important. It had been recent. Something very important to the former God; it were as if he had left a piece of his true self back there. Could it be that because his body sensed the impending danger that he worked so hard to retrieve it now?

"Fine. If that's the way you want to play it, then I'll just have to force you out!" Rei boosted her power. The shadows were quickly disappearing in the presence of its light.

"_Haruka?" _Uranus heard his voice ask. That was it. What was so important, he finally remembered. It was the last time that he had spoken to his successor; he had been watching the sunrise on the lower lands when she had approached him.

**…**

"_Haruka? What are you doing here?" He inquired the woman. She had come without her battle armor, just like the last time they had fought. The mere memory rekindled a twinge of resentment that he used to harbour for her, yet it hadn't been as strong as it was back then. No, for the warmth of the sunset was enough to melt the ill feeling away._

"_You're still angry, aren't you?" It really wasn't a question._

_**Woooooosh…**_

_A cool, gentle breeze flew by._

"_No." The man finally replied. "Rather perhaps, I think I should be grateful."_

"_Grateful?" Haruka arched an eyebrow. It was the last thing she had expected to hear from him._

"_I hate to admit it, but you were right. Because I've always lived as a God…I never truly realized what life was about. I had come to believe that pleasure was the only thing worth pursuing in life, whether it was for the battles or the materialistic trophies. But even long before I adopted you, I came to realize that neither really made me happy. There was always this restlessness that I felt inside, and it continued to eat away at me. Perhaps Ares felt the same way, I cannot really say. But...even though I was unhappy, I never bothered to change my ways because I just assumed that I had all the time in the world to figure it out. You changed all of that, Haruka. After I was stripped of my immortality, I finally saw that it's the simplest things that life that are the most precious." He allowed his gaze to fall back at the sunset. "I doubt that's why you're here though. Why did you come to visit me?"_

_A slight pause followed._

"_I'm going to Neptune." She finally answered. The former Uranus quickly turned his head in her direction. "I don't know when I'll be back, so…"_

"_...You wish to ask about Apollo."_

"_Heh. I see that your senses haven't dulled a bit." 'But that wasn't the real reason I came…' Haruka silently thought._

"_Then listen carefully Haruka…he is not a mere legend that exists to frighten naughty children. He existed and, the original Gods and Goddesses who ruled the planets such as myself were the ones responsible for overthrowing him."_

"_Why? What happened?"_

"_We grew tired of his tyranny. So we fought along-side each other during the 'Battle against the Sun'. Mercury… Mars… Jupiter… Neptune… myself… and even Venus Aphrodite… Together we overthrew the ruler of the Gods. However, it appears that even in death his spirit is seeking revenge. Hmph. Although I no longer possess the power of a God, I have yet to become senile. He is coming for us…the original rulers who took his life. Already Mercury, Jupiter and Neptune have met their fate. "_

"_But you're no longer a God!" Haruka protested, understanding what he was implying._

"_It does not matter. I have lived a long life… perhaps, too long." The man cast a longing look towards the warm sunset. He did not know how many more he would get to see, if only he had appreciated this sort of thing more when he had the chance. "I do not know why you are going to Neptune, Haruka. However, it is your choice. You are the ruler now. And…you are the wind. You are free do whatever and go wherever you please. But if you should ever remember something from this old fool… never take things for granted. Never let power and immortality corrupt you. "_

"_I understand. Thank you for the advice." The woman gave one last look at the sunset and turned to go. "But I will return again…and you better be here when I do! So, until then…stay well."_

**…**

"Good-bye…Haruk—AH!"

_**STAB----SPLOOSH!**_

Rei spun towards the man upon hearing his cry.

"What the--?!"

Her power had now lit up the entire cell, displaying everything in clear sight. Yet she wasn't prepared for what she was about to see. There was a small glint of metal protruding from his front where his heart was positioned-- blood was gushing out uncontrollably in her general direction, splattering all over the floor and walls. Rei inwardly cringed when the dead man's body shuddered one last time as the blade was withdrawn, and snarled as his murderer was revealed at last as his corpse collapsed to the stone floor. Behind the man there stood a shadow. From what Rei could see, it had the shape of a child and possessed the red eyes of a demon.

Emotionlessly it retracted its blade. In one swift motion it then swung the stained metal towards a nearby wall and 'cleaned' its weapon of the evidence.

"So it was you." Rei felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. "You were the one stalking us all this time!"

Yet the creature took no notice of her. It seemed rather uninterested in the woman.

"Don't ignore me!" Rei roared, and rushed it.

**Tup!Tup!Tup!Tup!Tup!**

With her sword posed she swung down against the intruder...

"HAAAAAH!"

…only to see her weapon fall through it!

_What…? No! It's impossible!_

The shadow, who hadn't moved once during the Martian's attack, now turned to face the soldier. From the narrowing of its crimson eyes one could see that it was having an apparent a change of heart. It lifted its weapon and began to step towards its new opponent with its intent perfectly clear.

"Damn…!" _What do I do now? Physical attacks don't work on this thing!_

**Wooooooooosh…**

_Wind…? _A breeze suddenly kicked up violently within the cell. It spun and twisted, instantly shooting out and, this time, successfully capturing its prey off-guard. The monster struggled and squirmed, desperately fighting for freedom, yet freedom appeared to be out of its grasp this time. As if someone had silently commanded it, the wind crunched down with an iron fist and exterminated the shadow-being. Its black form glowed momentarily before it turned into a ball of light. The sphere then immediately dashed through the nearest cell wall and disappeared.

_This wind… The presence in it feels so familiar! Ah!_

"Haruka?!" Rei shouted. The name had barely left her lips when a loud rumbling took a hold of the area.

**Rmm…rmm….rmm!**

"Great! W-What now?"

**KABOOM!**

Rei dove to the side as cement and debris was sent flying everywhere. Behind her where a solid, impenetrable wall once stood was a large gaping hole. As a result, bright sunlight from outside immediately that flooded into the dark prison. Many people squinted back in pain.

_What was that just now?! _

The prisoners around the Martian leader became bold enough to mutter to one another. Was it another attack? Though there were many startled faces, they all soon lit up with joy at the sight of one in particular.

"Look!" Someone cried.

Rei squinted at the newly created entranceway, her eyes nearly adjusted to the light. What she saw almost made her heart skip a beat; there stood a short-haired blonde, with blazing green eyes.

_Haruka...? No, wait. It's not Haruka! _Rei realized. _But then, who is she?_

"This is it! Today we will take back what is ours!" The woman called to her people. "Those who can fight, come with me. The rest of you, ill, weak, wounded, too young or elderly, our troops will move you to a safe location until the battle is over."

"And you are?" Rei questioned.

"Hm?" The woman finally took notice of the Martian, and gave her a long, hard stare. For a moment it appeared that she was drawing a blank, but then her eyes suddenly lit up in recognition. "Say… you wouldn't happen to be the leader of Mars, would you?"

"What's it to you?"

"Nice to meet you! From here on out, we'll be working together."

"W-Working together?" Rei sputtered. She barely noticed that the other prisoners around her were already being escorted to their new destination. The blonde woman began to walk back towards the entrance, but Rei wasn't about to let her walk off just like that. "You just come barging in here and--and I don't even know who you are!"

"Kali Auranos, third ranked commander under Uranus Haruka. Or if it's easier for you to remember, you can refer to me as a commanding officer of the 'insurgent' army. Anything is fine, as long as it's not short."

"This is…" _Unbelievable…! How can she be joking around at a time like this? It's exactly something-- that Haruka would do..._

"To put it simply, I received word from the second commander that our group has established a pack with the Inner Alliance. Apparently it was agreed through the consent of a diplomat of Venus. My sources told me that she goes by the name of Minako, and that she is currently in the care of our other squad. Does her name sound familiar to you, Sir Mars?"

_Minako… so she's safe! _Rei couldn't describe how relieved she was.

"Yes. She is indeed a diplomat of Venus and was accompanying us."

"I see. Then I suppose there's only one more question that I would like to ask you. Since it was one of your fellow comrades who agreed to this deal, and not yourself, do you have any particular problem with this arrangement?"

Rei took a deep breath. This was all going by her so fast. She had so many questions, but they weren't going to get answered if she just stood there. She needed to concentrate at the task at hand.

"No." She replied in a formal tone. "If Venus consented to it, then I will honour the agreement. I have faith in all of my comrades' judgement. Welcome to the Inner Alliance."

Kali smiled. "Great! I'll fill you in on everything along the way. Oh, and I hope you're up for a fight because there's going to be a lot of it." She cheerfully added.

_Oh I'm more than ready for a fight. I have a score to settle!_ Rei nodded, and followed the third commander's lead.

**

* * *

**

**Next up in HFD, Ch. 12: Conquering Uranus!: War**

**After losing the opportunity to take Minako hostage, Baroach quickly decides to take his chances with the remaining two diplomats. However, he is still in the dark about many things, and what you don't know can actually hurt you.**

"_**Uuuugh...W-Who is it?" **_

"_**It's—It's Commander Baroach."**_

**There was somewhat of a delayed reaction. **_**"Oh! Commander! My apologies Sir, but we have failed in our duty. The diplomats have escaped!"**_

"_**Escaped...?"**_ **Baroach slowly turned his head back towards the room. That was when he realized it.**

_**No... They didn't escape. They were waiting for me this entire time!**_

**The control for the planet of the wind wraps up in this next chapter!**


	12. Conquering Uranus!: War

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sailor Moon.

**A/N:** The time frames for some of the scenes overlap one another.

**

* * *

**

Both Kali and Rei exited the prison through the make-shift entranceway and found themselves back outside. To Rei's surprise they were standing at the base of the cliff, just below the palace.

_That stairway… it actually goes through the cliff? _Rei looked to the exterior climb of stairs to her left, confirming her suspicions. She then cast a backward glance into the Hell hole she had recently been freed from. _So that's why I never saw the prison during my trips here! It was sealed up within the base of the cliff! _

"It feels good to get out of there, doesn't it? I'd give you a chance to rest if I could, but unfortunately my squad is scheduled to head out for the city immediately," Kali informed the Martian leader. They turned their gazes to the city. "Although it appears that your forces have already occupied the majority of the city, your soldiers are still standing amongst Baroach's. It is our intention to force the traitors from our home entirely."

"You mean you intend to slaughter them all? They were your people once as well." Rei pointed out.

"Our people...? I don't think so. What you are referring to is the genetic ties between us, but on Uranus, bloodlines only go so far. What determines 'family' for us is measured by a person's loyalty. In short, we have no use for traitorous scum." The woman's voice was filled with intense loathing at the last remark. "We allowed them into our city, and did everything we could to promote a peaceful co-existence _precisely_ because they were once our people. We gave them their chance, and this is how they decided to waste it. That's why... we're going to take back our home by any means necessary! If the enemy chooses to stay and fight, then so will we! My comrades will not back down. However… if they choose to retreat, then that will also be satisfactory." Kali stressed. "If it turns out that there will be bloodshed today, it is because they desired it."

_So that's how it is..._ This time Rei had heard the regret underlying the woman's hardened tone.

"As soon as the situation within the city stabilizes, we'll draw the battle away from civilian homes. We'll join up with squad A and begin a final siege of the palace."

Rei was slightly confused. "Why aren't you attacking the palace first? It's just up there."

"...Because we could encounter a problem of reinforcements. It would be to our advantage if we scared the ones from the city off first. If they run back home and tell the others not to go, then we'll only have to worry about the soldiers in the palace."

"Meaning, you plan to isolate the battle to only one front."

"Exactly."

"Let's say that your plan works. When you return to the palace, how do you expect to get in? I mean, do you expect Baroach to let you walk in through the front door?"

"Pretty much. I mean, he really has no choice in the matter," Kali quipped. "It doesn't take a genius from Mercury to realize that a planet's palace is the most defended structure on any given planet. In Uranus's case, the palace's main defence system stems from the spells engraved on the walls at its front entrance. But without Uranus's sword, they cannot be activated. The leader of squad B is currently in possession of this sword, if you get what I'm saying."

"I might have heard something about it..." Rei resisted the urge to snort. "But you would still have to deal with the guards there. He has quite a few of them, and they're stationed in every corridor."

"I know. Squad B infiltrated the palace some time ago. We'll just have to deal with it when we get there."

"I suppose..."

She noticed her comrade's hesitation.

"If you're worried about the other diplomats, I really wouldn't worry about it too much. We've already made arrangements for Squad B to remove them from the zone of conflict before the battles begins."

"Oh. That's good." Actually, she was more worried for Baroach's soldiers. If a fight broke out, she seriously doubted that Ami and Makoto would sit around and play prisoner. "As for the situation at hand now, do you wish for me to alert my troops once we arrive at the city limits?"

"Why not do it now?" Kali suggested. "It would make things quite a bit easier for our small force to infiltrate if there is already some chaos when we arrive."

"Are you serious?" Rei resisted biting her lower lip, and instead frowned. "Is it even _possible_ that my whistle will reach them from this distance?"

"Sure. In fact, I'm willing to bet my life on it!" She saw the Martian arch an eyebrow. "You see, my squad was ordered to break into the prison, but we couldn't use conventional methods. We needed to use explosives. As you can see, they detonated right there. But if I had it my way, I would have directed the explosion at a difference place."

**…**

"_Sir Kali, the devices have been hooked up and are ready for detonation upon your order!" A soldier reported. The woman had been looking thoughtful as she scanned the side of the cliff base._

"_Excellent, then we'll--"_

_**Wooooooooooooosssh…**_

_The addressed commander immediately fell silent. Her green eyes then narrowed for a moment in deep concentration, completely ignoring the soldier that had just reported to her. Rather than becoming offended by this action, the man instead watched the commander curiously._

'_Is she reading the wind?' He guessed. He had heard about this from a fellow in the other squad. Among the three commanders (excluding the traitor Baroach), it was rumoured that they all had the ability to read the wind. In the past, wind readings on Uranus were revered as a royal ability that only Lord Uranus could use. It wasn't until after the former ruler's fall that the belief was revealed to be false._

_And, out of all the commanders, third ranked commander Kali Auranos was known to be the best of them._

"_Sir?" He questioned._

"_The explosives. Move them." She ordered._

"_E-Excuse me? But we just got them all hooked up!"_

_Again she ignored him. With her attention fixed on the nearly invisible entity, she traced the breeze's path to a certain spot on the cave's base. It was a quarter of the way around from where the explosives were originally set. There, the woman found a small crack in the wall where the wind persisted in travelling through._

'_Something has caught the wind's attention,' Kali realized. _

"_So I've changed my mind," She shrugged at her subordinate. His jaw dropped. "Set the explosives over here!"_

"_Yes Sir!"_

**…**

"Do you know what would have happened if I didn't move the devices? You would have probably been critically injured in the blast because they were right outside your cell." She grinned at the Martian's stunned face. The blonde didn't know it, but an explosion like that would have instantly killed Rei. "I changed my mind though because the wind told me to. Maybe it had taken interest in something or... perhaps a certain someone. That's why I know your signal will reach them. C'mon," She gestured up towards the cliff steps.

Wordlessly Rei followed the woman partially up the steps until the sea of red and green could be seen within the city square. As Kali had mentioned, there were blocks of black among the greater colors.

"Go ahead. Give it a try." She urged.

The Martian was hesitant at first. But slowly, she raised two fingers to her mouth and then blew hard.

**TWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!**

There was an anxious silence that followed as soon as the sound had left the woman's lips. Rei could not bring herself to drop her hand, to allow her gaze to fall away from the unmoving sea of colors before her. She couldn't remember the last time when she felt her faith waver so many times within a single day. Until this crazy adventure began, by principle, she had never placed too much faith in others, yet somehow here she was. The whole predicament gave her stomach butterflies.

Far away from where the two women waited, a lone breeze carried the sound to an intent listener.

**Woooooooooooosh…**

**Tweeeet!**

Hidden within the city, Zen started at the sound. _What? _He blinked, listening carefully. Again he heard the noise repeat itself. _That's…!_ _So an agreement has been reached has it? It looks like it's our turn now. _

"Zen? What do you think you're doing?!" Nozomi hissed at the man. "Aren't we supposed to be UNDERCOVER? Calm down or you'll give away our position, jeez…! What's gotten into you? Woah—Zen! "

The man jumped to his feet, not caring if anyone saw their position and commanded, "All forces, to battle!" He lifted his own fingers to his lips and imitated the signal for all their troops to hear.

**TWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!**

Back where Rei and Kali patiently waited, they suddenly spotted movement. At first the Martian leader thought she was imagining things when she saw the slight changes, but the rising roar of battle cries was something that could not be ignored.

_It reached them!_ She realized.

"Great job, you did it! Now, I think we should be heading down there ourselves. TO BATTLE!" Kali ordered her unit.

**RAAAAAAAH!**

_**Dumdumdumdumdumdumdum---**_

Not too long after the order had been given, the resistance group charged into the chaos and leapt to battle. Roars of surprise and outrage mingled as the two peoples clashed. However, the newly added numbers didn't go unnoticed by Mar's second commander.

"Wait, where are those soldiers coming from? Are they on our side?" Zen questioned. _But they just looked like ordinary civilians! They're all going into battle without armor! _

"HAH!" Rei instantly hacked down five black soldiers around her. Before she could even think, one followed up from behind for an attempted ambush-- without any hesitation she also cut him down. The man screamed as his blood was spilt. Some of it had even sprayed onto her arm guards, rekindling a dormant thirst for blood that almost made the woman swoon. She didn't notice it, but the crest on the Martian sword began to glow crimson. All of her senses became painfully acute, especially her hearing. She could hear the sound of a heart pounding wildly, but it was not her own. Her eyes followed the noise, only to encounter hundreds of others; she was hearing the heartbeat of every soldier on the battlefield. Rei gripped the sword a bit harder. It was the most intense battle she was involved in yet-- with much more at stake than her life, and the sword was reacting to it. She was beginning to see red. Killing, being a murderer--a blood thirsty barbarian, not all the rumours of Martians were untrue.

Trying to catch her breath, a part of herself asked,

"_Why are you fighting?" _She had always brandished her strength on the battlefield, eager to prove her worth over the years while she had been in training. She had injured many and sent even more to their deaths. But it never bothered her until now.

"_Strength is everything!"_ That was the mantra that she repeated over and over to herself as a child. _But is that really a justification for all the fighting? _Rei dashed forward and cut down another string of soldiers, their blood splattered the ground shortly before their lifeless bodies followed. Mar's sword, stained with their life, slurped it up and hungrily demanded for more. Within a blink of an eye the crimson energy from the sword sparked golden and enveloped the commander's body. She was an uncontrollable, blazing force of nature now.

_Bringing pride back to our people... Maybe we lost it all in the first place because we became too arrogant. But at least... we've never targeted civilians!_

"YAH!" She took down another swarm of black metal, leaving one last soldier facing her blade. He had been knocked down in the scramble, but he was now at death's door. He was faced by a God of Death, bathed in a fierce, golden aura. Rei's narrowed amethyst eyes glinted dangerously as she held the blade to his bared throat.

_**Shnk.**_

"P-Please…" He gasped out. "S-S-Spare me…!"

Yet she continued to hold her sword at him. While his heart continued racing, others came to an abrupt halt. Without moving her eyes she could sense the enemy's force being annihilated all around them. If this kept up there would be no survivors.

"There's someone's waiting for me back at home!" The soldier pleaded with a cracking voice. "Please! I want to see her again!"

_That voice. He sounds like child. _Rei calmly analyzed. But his words had awakened something else inside of her.

"_I want to see her again..."_

At a distance, Kali Auranos spotted the Martian. Her eyes were narrowed warily as the scene played out before her.

The Martian commander's amethyst eyes glanced around her at her comrades with a detached sense of self. They all fought viciously, but they lacked the intense, blood-thirsty craving that she was inflicted with at that moment. In the back of her mind she knew why this was the case-- that she was perhaps not in her right frame of mind. It was like a slap from reality. The golden light around her faded, and when she blinked she was no longer seeing red. She was herself again.

"They're retreating!" Someone bellowed.

"It appears that your comrades are abandoning you," Rei panted between breaths. The youth was shaking badly now, he had cringed fearfully under her harsh tone. He didn't know what was happening anymore.

_I don't want to die! I don't want to die!_

Rei watched him for a moment longer.

"Go." She finally said and moved the blade.

It took the young man a few seconds to realize what she had just said; dumbly he peered up at the strange woman, stunned. Was she really letting him go?

"What are you waiting for? Do you really want to stay around and wait until someone else kills you?" Rei growled.

"N-No Sir!" He jumped to his feet and broke out into a full sprint, running as fast from the battlefield as his legs could carry him. But before he was completely out of hearing range he shouted back, "Thank you Sir!"

Behind Rei, the woman heard another soldier's final cry. Unconcerned, she slowly turned her head to see that Kali had finished with an enemy soldier from behind. The blonde had the same expression of calmness that mirrored her Martian counterpart as she withdrew the dagger from his chest.

"So, you decided to let him go. That was nice of you." The third ranked commander stated as she began to clean her twin daggers of the mess. Many of the enemy soldiers had long fled by now, leaving only the stragglers or the foolishly loyal.

Rei glanced back down at Kali's recent victim. For a split second the action had reminded Rei of the assassination within the prison cell.

"I can't say the same for you." Her words came out colder than she had meant them to.

The other woman shrugged. With one cleaned dagger she pointed down at the individual's bottom half.

"He had already lost a leg. I found him dragging himself along the ground, gushing blood. He would have died soon anyway."

Rei caught the blonde's green eyes and saw an unsettling coldness in them that she hadn't seen earlier. While she was rampaging on a killing spree, is that what she looked like?

"Right... It's better than leaving him to die a slow, painful death." She finally agreed. "You did what you thought was best."

"Hmm…?" Kali arched an eyebrow at Rei's surprising attitude. "You're different."

"What?"

"It's Rei, isn't it? You've changed."

"I don't understand what you're getting at. What do you mean, 'I've changed'?" She repeated, confused. Kali smiled like she knew a big secret that Rei didn't, sending the Martian wracking her brains even harder. "Have we… met before?" She guessed.

"Nope."

"Then what?" Rei was quickly losing patience. She did not like being toyed with.

"Or at least not formally..." Kali gave in. "I remember back when Ares used to visit here. He always brought his heir with him. That kid was you, wasn't it? You were different back then, so that's why I almost didn't recognize you when we ran into each other earlier. It seems like you're changing just like _she_ did."

"Haruka?" Mentioning the ruler's name struck a chord in her mind. _Haruka went to Neptune..._

As a result, Rei barely noticed the shorter woman brush past her, or that a hand had touched her shoulder.

"It must be nice to have someone..."

"DON'T ATTACK THE CIVILIANS!"

The distressed order had drawn Rei's attention to see her first officer bellowing a few meters away at their forces. The problem was painfully obvious; their forces were confused about what to do with the strangers.

**Tweee---eeet!**

"Stop this at once!" Rei marched towards her soldiers.

"Commander." Zen breathed. His face was still red from all the fighting.

"These people have made a contract with us! They are part of the Inner Alliance!" She declared. Almost instantly there was a muttering amongst the troops. "For now, your orders are to continue to occupy the city. If enemy forces should foolishly try to invade again, crush them!" The crowd cheered at this. "Zen, bring your unit and follow me. We'll head towards the palace."

"Yes Sir. But if I may ask, whatever happened to that Baroach fellow?"

"That's who we're going to pay a 'visit' to."

He got the hint. "Sir!"

(--?--)

"It appears that the war is coming to an end." A woman softly remarked.

"…" But her short-haired companion remained silent in deep concentration.

(Palace of Uranus)

Within a small room, Baroach slowly stirred. Nothing was going the way he had planned. He had hoped everything would be settled with the Martian ruler, but his trump card, her maid, turned out to be more difficult than he had imagined. He never expected the woman to possess such an unnatural power.

With a groan the man pushed himself up to his knees, fully feeling the weight of his body; it felt like someone had taken a hammer to his head.

"D-Damn that woman…!" The former commander hissed, and cringed at the sudden brightness of room. After his eyes had adjusted he found the projector device beside him, ruined like its missing twin. "To think that I could be affected all the way back here…There's no way she's an ordinary servant!"

_Just what is she?!_

The Martian ruler would not cooperate without the maid. Faced with this disappointing failure, the man decided that perhaps he should take the barbarian's advice after all-- perhaps he would have a better time 'negotiating' with the diplomats. There were just figureheads after all. If he held them hostage, perhaps their rulers would consider leaving the Inner Alliance and form a separate alliance with his party instead. Mars would be no match by itself. In fact, he may be able to be rid that pesky Goddess for good.

**RAAAAAH!**

Baroach was startled upon hearing the battle cry. His gaze flew to the rattling room door before he jumped up and raced to the balcony, and threw aside the curtains. The sheets flew up into the waiting wind, partially obscuring his vision for a second or two before it revealed a view of Caelus.

"What the…?" Baroach could only whisper. His confusion quickly transformed into horror when he saw that a sea of red and green had overtaken the city. There was no sign of his men anywhere.

"Impossible! Where is everyone? What happened?!"

_The Martian leader… she was locked up in prison! Why would the army act without her consent? Or could it be…? Could that mean that she's escaped? AH! _He remembered what he saw in the wind chamber before his projection disappeared. _Auranos is in the palace! _The thought of his adversary troubled him. His men had beaten Celeste down-- he wasn't even sure if she was still alive. Either way, Soren was sure to be furious.

_I've got to get to the diplomats before he does!_ They were his only hope!

Baroach crossed the room to a bedside table where his communicator lay, and swiped it up. He'd issue a summons order to all of the guards in the palace.

"This is commander Baroach! Initiate phase C-- bring me Mercury and Jupiter's diplomats!"

"…" Static was heard over the line.

"Hello? Hello?! Does anyone read me?"

"…" More static was heard before the channel abruptly died, leaving Baroach completely bewildered.

"Has everyone lost their senses?" No, he knew there was something terribly wrong. Baroach clenched his jaw in frustration. "Damn it all—I guess I'll have to do it myself!"

Baroach picked up his sheathed sword, and crossed into the next room through a hidden passage.

(Servant Quarters)

"I see. So that's what happened." Soren said quietly, his eyes never leaving the unconscious woman. Minako found the man's expression very difficult to read. "But if everything goes according to plan, then you have nothing to fear. As we speak, we've dispatched a second squad to the prison. If Sir Mars was really locked up in there as Baroach has said, then she'll undoubtedly be rescued. As soon as that happens, and we've taken back control of the city, then our squad will move out to recover diplomats from Mercury and Jupiter. If we attempt it any sooner, then our cover will be blown. As for Celeste..."

"She really gave it her all, but... he just caught the both of us off guard…"

"A projection..." The second commander's green eyes darkened. "Yes, I know. I saw it too. That was a despicable stunt that he pulled back there. I thought at the very least, he would fight his own battles..." Soren sighed, suddenly looking very tired. "I can't even imagine how hard it must've been for Celeste."

_If it had been my way, I would have preferred it if she didn't have to fight in this war at all. _He had tried once to convince her otherwise once, but his subordinate adamantly refused to back down.

"That's because...you all used to be friends, right?" The comment earned a surprised look from the man.

"How did you...?"

"Celeste mentioned it. If you don't mind me asking, is it true...?"

"I suppose," Soren reluctantly admitted. "Maybe at some point, we were... but now, I don't know anymore. It all could've been an act from the start, or, perhaps something had changed him. I don't know. Either way... this is the path that he chose to follow and I have a duty to uphold."

"But when you say 'duty' that doesn't mean killing him, does it?"

"...It could."

"But he was your friend! You just said so yourself, you don't even know why he's doing it. I mean, I don't really like him either," _He hurt Rei_, "but why do you need to kill him? Isn't there another way to win this battle?"

_Celeste looked really hurt when he said those things to her._

"Lady Venus... I only said that it 'could' happen." Soren smiled weakly. In truth, there was one other person who said something similar to him once before and she was now lying unconscious by his side. "I would have preferred it if the fighting could have been avoided entirely, but Baroach has repeatedly refused to listen to reason. This was not my choice, but his." He paused. "I have been in many battles... I have seen many soldiers die, both comrades and the enemy. But today, if I am forced to fight to the bitter end, then...I may be forced to kill a friend."

_Soren..._ Minako understood the situation, but at the same time it made her feel very uneasy. If she was faced with the same predicament, she couldn't imagine killing a stranger let alone a person that she loved.

Soren's gaze came to briefly rest on Celeste.

_Baroach... What you've done was unforgivable!_

"Lady Venus, would you please come with me?"

Seconds later the infirmary door was flung open, and all heads turned to look and froze. Soren marched purposely of the room with a dangerous glint in his eyes. It was the first time many of his comrades had seen him this visibly angry, and they all knew that the second commander was formidable with or without his suit of armor.

"What are you all doing here?" Soren asked, crossly. "Didn't I give the order to prepare for battle?!" The soldiers all flinched at his harsh tone, but in part they had also expected it. Word tended to spread quickly along the grapevine.

"Please forgive us Sir, but we didn't disobey your orders." one soldier boldly stepped forward, "All of us here are ready to do battle. But we've all received word that Sir Celeste was recently injured, so we've came to see if she was all right."

"I see. Well, you all have nothing to worry about. She's sustained minor injury, but with some rest she'll recover."

There was a collective sigh of relief from the group.

"Sir! Sir Soren!" A single soldier came scurrying around the corner and waded his way urgently through the group. Soren turned to face him-- the young man's face was positively flush and excitement was brimming in his light blue eyes, so much that he didn't take notice of the tense atmosphere. "Flay, Sir! From commander Kali's squad B! I have good news! We have successfully released the civilians from prison and have liberated the city from Baroach's control!" The soldiers around him cheered. "As of right now, the Martian ruler is with Sir Kali. Squad B is headed this way as I speak!"

"I see. So your mission was a success. Good work!" Soren contained his excitement, but it was the best news the second commander had heard in a long while. "Now it is our turn! Squad A listen up! We will split up into two groups! Unit one will follow me. We'll battle through Baroach's men and head straight for his quarters. Unit two will go and guard the diplomats. Once the diplomats have been taken to a secure location, you will come back and join the fight."

"But Sir Soren, Sir Celeste needs to rest, doesn't she? You just said so yourself." A nearby man pointed out. There was a mutter of agreement amongst the soldiers.

His superior looked thoughtful. It was true that when squad A was split in half for these types of missions, the units would usually be led by Soren and Celeste. However, with these circumstances it would not be the case this time.

"Yes, you are you all correct. Commander Celeste will be sitting this battle out. That's why, as a precaution, I will have two of you stationed here on guard duty until the battle is over. Unit two will instead depart under Lady Venus's command."

Everyone appeared to be shocked, but none of the troops protested. Instead, it looked as if they were talking it out amongst themselves. Lady Venus, on the other hand, couldn't say that she felt as reassured.

"Me?! B-But I'm not a fighter," Minako tried to reason. _Seriously, I'm just a diplomat!_ "Isn't there anyone else who can lead the unit?"

"Whether or not you choose to believe this, Lady Venus, I believe that you are the most qualified person here." That comment instantly shut Minako up. "Strength," the wind chamber, "courage," her first meeting with the rebel group, "and heart," their earlier conversation in the infirmary by Celeste's side, "although it's true that you may lack some experience of a squad leader, you have the skills to become one. The only one who can hold you back now... is you." Soren untied a sheathed sword from his side, not Uranus's sword, but his own, and held it out to the woman.

"Will you do it?" It was not a diplomatic question, but one between individuals.

Minako felt all eyes on her as she looked around at the men and women standing behind Soren. The majority of them were taller than her, just like on Mars. But unlike the Martian soldiers who wondered why the woman was even on the battlefield, these people were requesting her to lead them into battle.

_What should I do? What would Rei do?_ The latter was clear as day, and so was her earlier promise to herself.

"_...I want to be a little braver..." _

"...All right. I'll do it." She reached out for the blade, and felt the weight sink in her hands. She had carried a sword on her before, but never in her hands until now.

_It's heavy..._

"Thank you. You have the gratitude of me, and my soldiers." Soren gestured for Minako to look around at all the eager faces. Now that she had made a decision, there appeared to be a general agreement amongst the warriors. "But now, we must make haste! I hope that we are both successful. Unit one, MOVE OUT!"

(Minako)

Soren's unit quickly left the quarters, leaving unit two restlessly waiting for their leader to also give the order to move out. Although they had agreed to serve this new 'commander', many of the soldiers became slightly agitated by Minako's silence. What was she waiting for? That said, one would think that someone would speak up. However none of them pushed the woman; due to their training, they knew better than to allow their emotions to disrupt the unity of their group (it would be foolish otherwise). Besides, none of them have ever been led by a diplomat before-- perhaps this was normal behaviour?

_Let's see…_ Minako thought frantically under the intense stares. _Soren said my unit was supposed to go and rescue Ami and Makoto. The only problem is, __I don't have Ami or Makoto's channel numbers, so I can't just call them and ask them where they are. Darn it! Hmm…Oh, wait a minute! Now that I think about it... I don't remember ever hearing anything that they were moved. So there's a good chance that they could still be where they were originally taken-- which would be the diplomat quarters! That's it!_

Now, she just needed someone to act as a guide.

"You there...! It was Flay, wasn't it?" Minako addressed the messenger boy from earlier.

"Y-Yes Sir... Is there something that I can do for you, Sir?"

"Do you know the way to the diplomat's quarters from here?"

Realization dawned on the young man's face. "Oh! Yes, yes I do!"

"Good, then you'll stay by my side. Unit two... MOVE OUT!"

**RAAAAAA!**

Following after their leader, the soldiers made their way through a straight-forward, narrow passage towards the exit. And as they gained ground they passed the wind chamber and the remnants of Baroach's ambush battalion from earlier that day. While it was true that there were many corpses in the room, the sheer amount that graced their sight up ahead put the previous number to shame; the large common room outside of the servant's headquarters was littered by black, armoured corpses. It appeared that Soren's unit had encountered some minor resistance on their way out, likely, Baroach's men had been planning to ambush them, but it appeared that none of unit one had suffered any casualties. There wasn't a single blonde-haired person amongst the bodies.

"There they are!" Reinforcements from the lower lands came streaming into the room. "Don't let them escape!"

Minako only hesitated for a split-second this time. "Take them down!" She ordered with a hand gesture. The brave men and women who were put under her charge instantly roared approvingly and rushed forward to meet the enemy-- Minako inwardly flinched as the two parties met with a deafening clash of metal. It felt so surreal as the scene began to unfold before her very eyes; it was the first time she had ever given a command, the first time she had ever played the role as leader, and look at the result-- the sheer utterance of a few words hurled the room into a swarming chaos of clashing of swords and death. Minako suddenly found it very hard to swallow. The temperature of the room was skyrocketing, but so was the anxiety welling up within her.

_What am I doing?_ Minako chided herself and shook her head. _I-I have to fight too!_

For a minute she had almost forgotten that she already possessed a weapon. Soren's sheathed blade was tied tightly against her side. Trembling slightly, Minako curled her hand around the t-shaped hilt and sucked in breath. Bracing herself with a determined expression on her face, she pulled on it and withdrew the blade-- her heart pounded hard as the gleaming metal flashed as it was dragged at an agonizingly slow speed-- until finally, its tip fell out all at once and struck the floor loudly. The Venusian squeaked and then panted for breath. She had taken her second step to becoming a soldier, but she wasn't quite there yet.

Minako picked up the sword, again feeling its weight in her hands. She didn't have long to wait before the duties of her newfound occupation were tested. Across the room, an enemy soldier had recognized her as the leader who gave the original order to attack.

"So, you're the squad's commander? You don't look like a leader to me, much less a soldier!" He taunted. "Why don't we see if you can use that sword in your hands? HaaaaAAAH!"

In response Minako did the best thing she could-- she flung her weight into the attack swung the sword with both hands! However, to her error, she had swung too soon and the tip of the blade barely nicked his black armor.

_**Tzin—sh.**_

_Oh no!_ Panic surged through her when she saw that he was still coming. Her heart was racing wildly in her chest. Maybe this time she had bit off more than she could chew?

_I---_

_**SLASH!**_

**Thud.**

The attacker's body crippled to the ground. Behind him was Flay, the young man from her unit.

"It's you." Minako struggled to find the words to speak, but she could not. The blood from the black soldier was seeping into the carpet towards her, distracting her thoughts. More blood-- somehow her mind couldn't get over it.

"If you don't mind me saying this, you swung too soon, Sir." The youth told her. "During a battle is not the best time to learn how to use a weapon, but if you intend to hold that sword and fight, then remember your range! That weapon has a length! Try not to swing it around unnecessary!" During his word of advice, the man was unaware of another soldier sneaking up from behind.

"Watch out!" Minako panicked and threw her hand out.

**SHUP!**

All three of them were frozen in separate poses. The man who had saved Minako had barely turned his head, but he was still breathing. It took a moment for either party to realize what had happened—it was the attacker who was dying! With his sword posed up for a downward slash, the man had met his end by an invisible force. Minako blinked once, thinking there was something in her eye.

_What...?!_ Her hand trembled.

In her line of vision she could see a wavering narrow path that extended from her hand towards the man; the seemingly invisible force had pierced the soldier's black armor through his chest like a spear. The Venusian's stomach knotted at seeing the blood that now dribbled out through the spherical hole. Without thinking anything at all, the force finally relented and released the enemy. Minako shuddered when the body hit the floor, but, at the same time, she felt relieved. The invisible force that returned to her was not a foreign sensation. It was the same, warm, pressurized air that she felt earlier when she had met Soren's group and within the wind chamber.

**Thud.**

The young man who had been spared slowly met her eyes in astonishment. "Wow… so... I guess you diplomats don't actually need weapons to fight, huh? Nice job!"

His words of praise couldn't have fallen on deafer ears. Minako was in a complete state of shock.

…_I-I…_ _I... killed someone... W__hat would Mother say if she knew…?_

She had seen many people die since she left home, and it sincerely frightened her every time she saw it happen. But this wasn't something that she couldn't turn a blind eye to. This time, it was the weight of _her _sin, not Rei's or so many others who repeatedly committed the deed, that guilt-tripped her conscience. Not only had she ended a life, but was it truly respectable for someone from her planet to commit 'murder' as well? Minako felt herself balk at the thought.

_I took someone's life... I just murdered someone._ _It's true that I come from Venus and that we take pride in calling ourselves the 'people of love', but… after going to all of these different planets and meeting so many people… in the end, we're all just the same aren't we…? We can get along. We can join together for a common cause! So… in the end…aren't I, just me?_

_Venus Minako..._ What exactly was a name?

She tensed when another soldier's dying cry pierced the area. "AHHHHHHHHH!"

_I don't want to kill people. I'd rather not do it, but… I will do what is necessary to protect my friends!_

The air pressure around her grew thick again.

_I can do this!_

"This time, I'm ready." She gripped the sword with both of her hands and threw herself into the action.

(Baroach)

Meanwhile, Baroach struggled through the maze of hidden passages. The cement floors, at some parts, were cracked, uneven and slippery. A few times he had nearly slipped. The man leapt down a mini-staircase of steps and continued to race down an evening elevation. From the sounds of it the battle had already begun –all along the way, amidst his echoing steps, he could make out muffled screams and the clanging of metal through the thick walls. Baroach stumbled and winced when a particularly loud scream close by echoed throughout the hollow space. He hesitated; as much as he would have liked to jump into the fray, he couldn't afford to stop and give his troops his aid. Everything hinged on time, and he had very little left to spare--far back in his bed chambers, unit one had stormed the quarters and cursed to find it empty.

"No, I've got to keep going! I'm almost there!" Baroach assured himself that this would be best for his men as well.

_How did it ever come to this...?_ _No! I can't be having second thoughts now!_

He finally reached a dead end. Slightly out of breath, he pulled a small lever near his head-- the wall piece in front of him creaked before it finally slid aside. He was staring into the diplomat's quarters now.

The former commander didn't have to look far for the two women. As soon as he stepped inside the room he found his targets positioned in the far right-hand corner. The diplomat from Jupiter was seated on a chair in front of the desk, while her companion, the diplomat of Mercury, stood at her side. Baroach briefly glanced around the room, finding it strange that he could not sense any of his soldiers. Could this possibly be a trap?

Ami stared at the man, a little startled that he appeared from an entranceway in the wall.

"Sir Baroach... This is quite the surprise. What do we owe the pleasure of this visit?"

The man hesitated. He could feed them a half-baked excuse off of the top of his head, but at this point he didn't possess the patience to do so.

"If you ladies would please pardon my intrusion, there is something that I need to speak to you about." He stepped forward, and stopped again when they were a few, scant meters apart. "At this minute, as I speak, civil war has broken out on Uranus. Because of this, I would like to formally request that Jupiter and Mercury absolve their ties with the Inner Alliance and form a new alliance with my party instead."

This drew suspicious glances from the two representatives.

"Do you understand what you are suggesting?" Ami calmly challenged. Beside her, Makoto's eyes darkened a shade. "The Inner Alliance came here with the purpose of preventing the civil war by inviting one of the two warring factions into our treaty. The last we understood, the Martian leader left with the intention of negotiating with your leader, Sir Uranus. However, instead of returning with good news, you return with a new proposal of your own? It seems to me that there are a few problems here... First of all, you have said 'my party'. Does this mean that there is a third warring faction and you are a spy, or are you simply a traitor who schemed behind a figurehead?" The man twitched. "Secondly, although there may be some rivalry between Uranus and Mars, the leader of Uranus would benefit more from having the Martians as their ally. Your proposal is the opposite of this, and suggests that the new Alliance should leave out Mars. Not only are you asking that Mercury and Jupiter abandon their ally, but this implies that if war should ever break out in the future we would also be forced to fight against them. Mars would be at a great disadvantage if they stood alone. On what grounds do you justify this new alliance?"

Baroach balked at this. The woman wasn't the diplomat of Mercury for nothing-- she already had him mostly figured out.

"If you wouldn't mind, we would like to discuss this with Mars, Sir Baroach. Could you please tell us where she is currently?"

"..."

"Please answer the question _Sir _Baroach." Makoto jabbed.

_Where's Rei?!_

Neither woman appeared ready to let the subject go. It was actually beginning to get on Baroach's nerves on how much they all fawned over the Goddess. It reminded him of a blonde-haired girl that he once knew.

"If you must know, she is probably scampering about the palace as we speak. But what I'd like to know is the answer to my request."

"I thought all negotiations must go through Sir Uranus." Makoto pointed out with disdain.

'Yes, well... I don't think I need to say this, but Sir Uranus has officially hit retirement. I am the leader of Uranus now."

"Is that so...? You sure don't look much like a God to me."

Baroach whipped out his sword and brought it inches from her face. The green-eyed woman looked at the blade with annoyance.

Ami was shocked. "What do you think you're doing?" She forced out in a calm voice. Little did Baroach know, but her patience was a thread away from snapping.

"I'm extending my proposition. If you refuse to meet my demands-"

"You'll do what?" The way he flinched almost brought a smile to Makoto's face. "You know... after hearing what _Lady _Mercury has said, I think it was the latter option. You keep going on and on about Sir Uranus, but you don't seem to have any problem taking over for him. Maybe... this entire time, you've been running the whole show! For all we know, you could have been plotting to overthrow Haruka ever since you joined her court."

The comment struck a nerve.

"...Heh, you really think so? Okay, so what if I told you that I was...? What do you plan on doing about it?"

_**Spark! Cra----ckle!**_

He nearly let go of his sword when he saw Makoto's glowing green eyes trained on him. Instead, he stumbled back. The air around the woman had begun to spark, and a strange green aura filled the air around her and her companion.

"I--I—what on Uranus is going on here?! You're just a diplomat aren't you? You can't have that kind of power!" Baroach protested as though she were cheating. The other woman silently observed the man with repressed anger. "Tch. You're all freaks! The maid, you diplomats and---!"

"Let me tell you something." Makoto interrupted. He took another step back as she slowly stood up.

"Wait, you think someone of your rank can interrupt me?" The man automatically responded.

_**Spark!**_

Baroach instinctively shrunk back.

"As I was about to say _Sir _Baroach, you seem to be mistaken about a few things. We aren't diplomats." Makoto said deliberately slowly. "And that 'maid' that you were talking about really isn't a maid."

"What...? So what are you trying to say?!"

Ami stepped up beside Makoto "You appear to be confused. Perhaps I can be of some assistance. The young lady, who you claim to be a 'maid', is in actuality, Venus's diplomat."

"!" Baroach gripped his sword with indignant rage. "Venus's…? But Mars is Goddess right? She's immortal isn't she?!"

"That is incorrect."

"Rubbish!"

"For a make-believe God, you sure aren't very bright." Makoto chuckled.

"Grr… Enough of this nonsense! I don't care who you are anymore, you're all dead!" He whipped out his sword and charged Makoto.

_Like you'd understand!_

**Tup!Tup!Tup!Tup!Tup----**_**freeze**_

_**ShRooOoOoOoOom…**_

"H---uh? Uhh…uh-ah…" Baroach felt himself become paralyzed mid-strike. He was only half a meter from his target, but a blue aura had ensnared his body. With what little motion he still possessed, his craned his head towards the foe on his left-- Ami's eyes were now glowing blue and, to say the least, she was mildly pissed off.

_This power! _Baroach struggled in its grasp. _It's just like with Uranus! She---she's a…._

"That's enough." Ami barely whispered the words when her aura shot up and instantly converged down towards the man.

…_Goddess!_

**BLAST!**

**Whomp!**

The force blew the man out of the room and slammed him up against the wall of the outer corridor.

"GaH!" A sharp gasp escaped Baroach's throat--his senses were reeling. The next thing he knew, the presence dropped him and he crashed to the floor. He felt like he had been winded. With a groan, he lifted his head and spat the blood away from his cut lip. He was shaking with a mixture of fear and rage. The collision stripped him of most of his armor and he felt the beginnings of many bruises.

_This can't be!_ He unconsciously glanced around him and came to a worse, startling realization. Lying on the floor further down in the hallway was the soldiers he assigned to guard the area. Now he understood why communications weren't going through.

Baroach was shocked when he saw one of the soldiers twitch and groan. Without a second thought, he ran to the young man's side, flipped him onto his back, and lightly shook him.

"Hey. Hey, are you all right?!"

"Uuuugh...W-Who is it?"

"It's—It's Commander Baroach."

There was somewhat of a delayed reaction. "Oh! Commander! My apologies Sir, but we have failed in our duty. The diplomats have escaped!"

"Escaped...?" Baroach slowly turned his head back towards the room. That was when he realized it.

_No... They didn't escape. They were waiting for me this entire time!_ That was it. Now, he could see everything very clearly.

_It's over._

"Sir? Commander Baroach! What should we do?" The other soldiers around him also began to stir- it appeared that the Goddesses had been merciful enough to spare them their lives.

"...Withdraw."

"What?"

"I said retreat! Go back to the lower lands until further orders!"

"But Sir!"

Baroach grabbed his collar and stared him straight in the eye. "That. Was an order, soldier." He dropped him, and watched as the others began to stand. "I will go alert the others of this as well. Your only duty now is to live!"

His men saluted him, and then went their separate way. Behind him, he could feel a watchful gaze. His instincts warned him of the impending danger, so he broke out into a full sprint-- there was still something he needed to do.

_Kali!_

In the room, Makoto and Ami sensed the man's signature making a break for it.

"You were right Ami. It looks like the deal went sour after all. I had a feeling he was a scumbag from the moment he showed his sorry face!"

"Perhaps..."

"Hm? What do you mean, 'perhaps'? You don't agree?"

"At this point it hardly matters. We should just be grateful that Rei is all right."

"That is, if he was telling the truth."

Ami shushed her. "We don't have to guess. Just give me a minute." She threw out her energy and searched for their friend. It wasn't long before she found the trail--she was surprised that is was closer than she had imagined.

_She's-!_

Meanwhile, Baroach shouted retreat orders to whoever he encountered. He had yet to reach the main battleground, but he would shortly. That was, until he encountered another obstacle; a hidden door opened in the hallway up ahead and the Martian Commander charged out. An infuriating bolt of tension shot through both combatants' bodies upon sighting the other.

_No! Not now!_

"It's you again!" Baroach reluctantly was forced to stop his advance.

"I've finally found you..." Rei's amethyst eyes glinted dangerously. "Traitor!"

The word echoed like a thorn in his side. It reminded him of all the good friends he had betrayed. However, it was exactly that motivation that fuelled his current quest.

"Please move aside. I have no intention of fighting you."

"Tch. After everything you've done, you really think I'm going to let you go?! Haaah!" Rei raised her hand and crimson lightning thundered out-- the strands converged into the floor, spitting up carpet and marble as it barrelled towards the man. At the last split second Baroach rolled, hitting the opposite wall and hugged it until the fire passed. A roar boomed in the back hall as a backlash of wind whipped back in their direction. Nothing was spared. Everything in the corridor had been blown away or singed.

_Crap._ The Martian bit down thoughtfully when she saw the damage. Haruka wasn't going to be very pleased when she saw this.

Her attention snapped back to her opponent. Baroach pushed himself from the wall and began to charge towards her with his blade posed. Rei, half-expecting a head on strike, was caught off guard when the man suddenly whipped a hand to his lips and whistled. The sharp noise hit her ears and made the woman wince. While she was distracted he tried to duck past her side, only to encounter a reflexive backward whirl of a blade aimed for the front of his head. Baroach heard it first and threw up his sword awkwardly to block the attack. The impact knocked him straight to the ground onto his back. He barely blinked when the enemy's sword rotated in her grasp and dove for the middle of his chest.

_**Thu—crack..**_

Baroach rolled again, leaping back onto his feet by the time Rei had recovered.

"Are you just going to run away?!" Rei whipped her hand out and threw a concentrated ball of her aura; he evaded the first, but, surprisingly, came down on the second one with all of his might. There was a bang as the two forces collided.

"Wha--?!" Baroach was startled when the fiery ball abruptly broke upon contact and gripped down onto his sword. It was almost as if the thing had a life of its own- it disintegrated into lightning strands once again as it flashed through the sword and slithered up his arms, biting at the flesh beneath his armor. His senses told him he was being burnt alive. "Rrrragh----!!!!"

Unfortunately, his opponent wasn't finished. Rei continued to unleash the shots at such a speed that the man could not do anything but attack them.

_**Crackle! Shrom!**_

_**Crackle-Blam!**_

"Aaah-!!"

_**Crackle-Blam!**_

"Geeeh....AAAhHH!"

Without realizing it, a reddish haze was beginning to cloud over Rei's eyes. It was partially illuminated by the sparks that flew from the remnants of the man's armor. Fire-- that's what the sparks reminded her of. Fire, heat, red lightning, and screams of pain, they were all ingredients of an addictive drug that she couldn't get enough of. She breathed in the scent of the fumes. After tasting it earlier in the battlefield, it was so much easier to cave into temptation the second time around. She could almost smile.

Despite the guilt-ridden voice inside, she instinctively continued to manifest the shots stronger and faster at an alarming rate.

_**Crackle-Blam!**_

_**Crackle, Crackle-Blam! Blam!**_

_**CrAcKle—BLAM!**_

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" Baroach fell to one knee, the action prompting Rei to temporary postpone the torture. The man was badly shaken up. His entire body cried out in protest and involuntarily wept with bloody tears, but he found himself too shocked to move.

_Why is she?!_ There was a golden aura surrounding the woman. The bloodlust in her eyes was maddening. If he had ever truly seen a blood-thirsty barbarian, this would be it.

"Hah...Hah...Hah..."

_Is she really a human?_

Baroach felt shivers run down his spine when she spoke to him in a calm, cool voice.

"Staring to regret your mistakes?" She asked. She didn't know why she did- she just felt like it. "You know, no matter how hard you try you can never become a God. You can never become a great ruler like Haruka is, you two aren't even in the same league."

Baroach spat to the side, and scowled. "What's with all of you? It's like you obsess about her! Haruka this, and Haruka that. If you must know, I could care less about her!"

This drew a skeptical look from his opponent. "Hmm? Well, you could've fooled me. If this had nothing to do with overthrowing her, then why the elaborate plot...?"

"Hah. Your name was Rei, right? I heard that you were human. Is it true?" Judging by the displeased frown, he took her answer as a 'yes'. "If it is... can I ask you something first?"

"What is it?"

"Have you... ever loved someone?"

Rei was taken aback. "Wha--? Don't be ridiculous! Only a complete moron would actually believe in something like that!"

She threw another bolt of her power out and he smashed it down once again. "Rragh!" This act of defiance only served to anger the Martian further, but Baroach refused to relent to her unyielding nature. Something was changing. As the battle dragged on, he could feel out a marked drop in her strength. Rei unconsciously knew it as well, and it frustrated her to no end. Why couldn't she concentrate? As her thoughts wandered further from the battle, the golden aura also began to recede and with it, so did her superhuman strength.

Slowly, the man was able to rise back onto his feet.

_A complete moron, huh...?_ Baroach thought.

"Do you really think it's stupid?! Rrgh!" He always knew when one of his subordinates was lying, and, granted that she was more guarded than the ordinary person, he had an inkling that she was too. "All right... Then! In the future--what if-- you did! Fall in love? What would you do if the only way to be with that person... was to become a God?!"

"Grr... Would you just shut up already?! No one is stupid enough to do something like that! What kind of fool would even think of falling in love with a God?"

Baroach was taken aback by the words.

_Fall in love with a God?_ He failed to block a shard of Rei's power and felt it engulf his right shoulder.

"GAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!"

Rei brandished her blade and dashed towards the man. She was fed up with listening to him.

"It's over for you!"

Baroach saw the woman lunging for him. He gripped his right shoulder hard.

"What if... I told you..." He began to whisper. "That I wanted to become a God for the person I loved?"

Rei faltered for a split second in her step, and gave the man an opening. With a mighty kick he smashed her in the abdomen and sent her rolling across the floor.

"Think about it." He advised before running off.

"Rei!"

Ami and Makoto ran to their friend just as Baroach took off in the opposite direction.

"Rei, are you all right?" Ami bent down to help the confused woman up.

"Yeah... I'm fine." She replied stiffly.

"That jerk! He won't get away with this!"

"Makoto- wait!"

Ami sighed as the taller woman took off after the man, but Rei was just thankful for the distraction.

"We better follow her." Rei quipped. She tried to get up, but was stopped by a firm hand on her shoulder.

"Rei, please answer me seriously." _She's trembling._ "Are you sure you're all right?"

"Ah. I told you, I'm fine!" She yanked out of her friend's grasp and dashed towards the main battle at the end of the corridor.

"_What if... I told you... That I wanted to become a God for the person I loved?"_

_Rubbish!_

This time, Ami was unable to stop her. The blue-haired ruler could only silently push her worries aside as she also went to join her comrades.

**Boom!**

Up ahead, Baroach was dodging Makoto's lightning bolts. The ground was being torn up all around him but all he could see was opening in the corridor-- the sounds of battle were steadily growing louder. At that point, he was unsure whether he was really running towards the future or away from the past.

_**. . .**_

_He remembered the first time he was admitted into Sir Haruka's court. He was in his late twenties back then._

_Today was to be his first day on duty. He was extremely nervous to say the least; he was supposed to meet with the other Commanders today, so he went through quite a bit of trouble this morning to make himself look somewhat presentable-- his black hair for instance, which had been significantly longer upon his first appearance, was neatly trimmed back, and he wore his best suit of armor from home._

_As the man patiently waited in the throne room for his guide, he could hear the guests of the court gossiping amongst one another. Needless to say, he was able to catch a word or two between the conversations. They were talking about his hair: how it looked better when it was short, how it was typical for his 'people' to have such dark hair colour-- almost like the people of Mars, their adversaries-- and how his eyes would look prettier if they were only a few shades lighter. But as soon as the discussions rounded onto the color of his dark armor, he could only stand there and hope the embarrassment didn't show on his face. Perhaps he should have changed into the gold, military attire after all._

_The doors to the throne room suddenly opened, revealing a small, short-haired girl from the upper lands. At first he contemplated on whether or not to ask if she was lost, but he quickly surprised to see the headstrong, young woman marched straight up to him. Up close, it was more than apparent that she was over a head shorter than he was._

"_U-Umm..." He couldn't understand why she was staring at him like that. It was such a cold, hard gaze- very un-Lady like. _

"_Are you Baroach?" She crossed her arms over her chest and looked slightly annoyed when the man failed to answer back quickly._

"_Oh. Yes, I am. But uhh... if you don't mind me asking, who are you? Are you lost little girl?"_

_The girl narrowed her eyes dangerously as a loud snickering buzzed throughout the room. Baroach was puzzled. Did he say something funny?_

_He was answered by a swift kick to the head. Without thinking, he raised his arms up and blocked it._

"_W-Woah! What was that for?!" His feelings were mildly hurt to say the least._

"_My name isn't little girl," she answered crossly. "It's Kali Auranos. I am one of the two, third-ranked commanders in Uranus's army. So don't you forget it!"_

"_Huh?"_

"_I don't care if you're my superior. If you disrespect me again, I'm going to give you a beating that you won't forget!" She glared, and was somewhat satisfied to see him flinch. She then gestured for him to follow her out of the room. The whisperings only seemed to grow louder. _

_Only until they were in the outside hall and out of hearing range, did Baroach ask,_

"_H-Hey... it was Kali, right? I didn't mean for us to get off on the wrong foot. I'm sorry, all right? I really didn't know... So, how about we start over?"_

"_No."_

"_What? Why not?"_

"_Because I don't like you."_

"_Uhh... W-Well, can I ask why? It's not because of my hair color, is it?" He tried to joke._

_The young woman whirled on the spot and shot him a very annoyed expression. She wasn't about to kick him again, was she?_

"_Can you fight?" It seemed to be a very insistent question. "Well, can you?"_

"_Well... Yeah, of course I can."_

"_I see." She turned around and began walking again without saying another word. Baroach quickly followed after her, utterly bewildered._

"_Wait a second, what do you mean by 'I see'? Hey, c'mon! What did you mean? Does it really matter--"_

"_It matters. If you can fight, then that's all that matters. I couldn't care less about your hair color." _

_**. . .**_

"_I just don't like you."_

Baroach gasped and pushed his legs to its limits. Just a few more seconds and he would be in the hall. But as he reached the opening, a lightning bolt crashed into him from behind.

_**CraCKLE!!!!!!!**_

"GAH!!" The attack sent him over the edge of the protectively railing, catapulting him into the middle of an intense battleground.

A strange silence fell over the area as Makoto, Ami and Rei reached the railing of the upper floor.

"What the--" Makoto started. Her green eyes darted about the floor below. It was practically covered with bodies.

"Oh dear…" Ami whispered.

"It's Lord Baroach!" A black soldier had cried out. It seemed that one unlucky soldier had cushioned the majority of his fall. Many of the remaining men raced to their leader's side and formed a protective circle about him.

_Huh? _"Hey, why are you protecting him?!" Jupiter shouted. Rei past behind her and began to rush down the spiral staircase.

"Ami?! Makoto?!" A familiar voice cried out to the women.

"Minako!"

Both women finally spotted the blonde in the midst of the sparring bodies, and what they saw nearly made their jaws drop. They hardly recognized her; the diplomat from Venus, the representative of the planet where 'peace and love' was promoted above all else, was fighting? Her long, beautiful hair was an absolute mess. Some of the loose strands were stuck to her flush face and a blood-stained sword was firmly gripped in her right hand.

"Are you two all right?!" She yelled up at them.

"Yeah, we're fine!" Makoto pointed to her left. Minako automatically turned her head in the direction as someone said,

"Minako."

"Rei!" She nearly squealed. It took every bit of will power that she possessed not to drop her sword and run to hug the life out of the other woman right there. "You're all right!"

"Of course I am!" Rei snapped back with a 'who-do-you-think-you're-talking-to' tone. The sword in the blonde's hands did draw a curious look however.

"Don't allow him to get away!" A new voice thundered. There was a rush of steps before unit one appeared from another entranceway.

"Soren!" Minako greeted. The sight of the man drew a frown from Rei, and thoughtful expressions from Ami and Makoto. Judging by the quality of the heavy sword he wielded, the man had to be the rebel leader.

Baroach's soldiers shrunk back and drew closer to one another as unit one surrounded them.

"W-We'll protect Commander Baroach, no matter what…!" One of the man's subordinates stuttered. A flash of guilt crossed Baroach's face.

"Is that so…? Then you're all fools." Another force had arrived at the scene. A resemblance could be seen between the rebel leader and this squad leader. Soren's younger sister, Kali Auranos, along with squad B and Mars' medic unit entered upon the scene.

"Kali..." Baroach whispered under his breath.

"It's over for you...traitor." The word stung, but not as much as the cold, hard expression in her green eyes. He had seen that expression so many times before, he had even dreamt about it, but it had never been directed at him, like this, until now. It was as if a dark cloud was lifting from his heart. Was this what he really wanted?

"Surrender Baroach!" Soren pointed Uranus's sword at him.

"Don't worry Sir Baroach! We'll fight for you until the end!" A young man nearby shouted. "We won't betray you!"

Rei stepped forward, gesturing for his troops to be still. "Sir Baroach, 'leader' of the true wind clan… I present to you our response to our negotiation! The Inner Alliance demands UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!"

_**RAAAAAAAH!**_

**DOOOOM!**

_It's over. _

"Sir Baroach!" The soldier was silenced by his Commander's gesture.

_In Uranus's Military code, a traitor may be punished by death. I cannot allow that to happen. If at the very least..._

"Uh...?!" Soren was surprised when the sword in his hands began to act up. He braced himself when it suddenly conjured up a strong gust of wind and attacked everyone in the room.

_Wha-What's going on?!_ He hadn't issued any commands, so why was the sword acting on its own? Through the wind, Kali stared hard at her superior turned traitor-- he was staring straight ahead, with his head up high. That was when both siblings realized it:

_The sword... it's reacting to him!_

Baroach's dark blue eyes flashed. This was the perfect distraction.

"Everyone... RETREAT!" He ordered to his troops.

There was a mass of confusion as the black soldiers scattered. Instantly, orders from the Inner Alliance flew through the air at an incredible speed.

"Stop him!"

"Attack!"

Baroach whipped to the farthest staircase, deliberately aiming for the longest escape route. As he predicted, all of the enemy's soldiers were focusing in on him and left his men alone. He was almost at the stairs when Minako tried to intercept him.

"Get out of the way!" He warned her.

"Minako, get out of there!" Rei shouted.

However, Minako stubbornly refused to budge. She raised her sword up and braced herself as the man quickly approached her with his sword raised. They both lunged forward at the same time.

_**Slash! Slash!**_

"GAAAH!" Someone shrieked.

"W-What?!" Baroach blinked. He knew what he was staring at but it still wouldn't register in his mind. One of his own men had leapt into the space between them and took the attack from both parties; Minako's sword was gouged into the soldier's right side, while Baroach's blade had cut deeply into his back.

_He used that man as a shield! _Everyone thought.

Baroach was incredulous. _NO!_

"You idiot! I ordered you to escape! What do you think you're doing?!"

"S-Sorry Sir... But now's not the time for chit-chat. You have to go... Now! You can punish me later!"

"..."

"I said go!" He begged.

"...Thank you." Baroach reluctantly agreed to his last request, and bolted past Minako up the steps.

"Wha-Hey!" She tried to stop him, but the soldier in front of her wouldn't have any of it.

"I…will not allow anyone... to hurt Commander Baroach!" His free hand flicked at a pouch by his side and whipped out a short dagger. It all happened too fast.

_**Stab!**_

"Augh!" Minako gasped. A chill ran down her spine and time seemed to freeze over.

"Minako!" Everyone cried.

"Lady Venus!"

Minako, in a complete state of shock, released her grip on her sword and stumbled back into the staircase railing. The soldier didn't pursue her though. It appeared that he was at the end of his life, and instead fell to the floor.

"Minako!" Rei ran towards her.

The Venusian desperately gripped at the railing for support, but her hands were so slippery. The dagger had plunged deep into her side and even as she fought for consciousness she could feel the cold, metal twist inside. Feeling dizzy, her legs finally buckled beneath her-- Rei caught her just before she hit the ground.

"Minako! Minako, say something!"

_It hurts..._ She was having trouble breathing. But despite that, there was something very important that she needed to tell Rei.

"Cel…Celeste…" Minako squeaked out between breaths. She was feebly pointing towards the entranceway where Baroach had disappeared into.

"Celeste? Who's Celeste…?!"

However, Soren understood what the blonde meant. Baroach was headed towards the infirmary.

"I'll handle it!" He told Rei.

"Who are you…?"

But Soren was already running after Baroach.

**Tup!Tup!Tup!Tup!**

_Celeste! Please don't let me be too late! If--If anything happens to you... I won't forgive myself!_

_(_Baroach)

So here he was, running _again_. That's all it felt like he had been doing lately. At what point did he begin to think that this plan was a good idea? Deep inside, he knew where the foolishness begun.

_Why... Why did it come to this? No. I know why._

_Kali... _

_No matter what I did, she was always looking somewhere else. She always had her eyes on that cursed throne. She was always training to become stronger for someone that she probably hates, even to this very day. I heard the story from Celeste. Apparently, Kali was Uranus's original heir, but then Uranus chose Haruka over her. Honesty... I was kind of glad when I found out. If Kali had become a Goddess then we could never be together! _

_But..._

_I came to realize that as long as she was fixated on the throne, she would never even give me a chance. Hah. It seems so crazy now that I think about it... But, one day, I just thought, what if I was the one sitting on that throne? I really don't care about the power or becoming a God! I just wanted... I just wanted her to look at me! But not like that though._

The anger and loathing that burnt fiercely in her eyes only moments before was directed at him. He thought that anything would be better than nothing, but now he knew that he thought wrong. This was far worse than he had ever imagined, and he kicked himself for deluding himself that things would eventually work out in the end.

Baroach ran through the twisted tunnels, not even sure where he was going anymore. It wasn't long before he heard another set of footsteps emerge from the darkness behind him. Someone was giving chase. For a second he wondered who it was, and smiled at his foolishness- even now, he wanted to see her.

The man reached another intersection and made a hard right. To his surprise, there were two of Aurano's soldiers guarding the door. They shouted at him, but he couldn't turn back now. With some fancy footwork, he was able to overwhelm both guards and knock them both unconscious without a fuss. With that, he slipped into the room.

"Ugh…" The moment he stepped into the cool room, he found himself confronted by two very prepared, third-ranked commanders. He tensed. The secret entrance in the wall to the side explained everything.

Soren Auranos reached the infirmary soon after and flung the door wide open to find Baroach cornered on the balcony. The man sported a few new injuries, but none that was life threatening. The same could be said for his former comrades. Kali and Celeste were slightly out of breath, but for the most part the two women were safe. Soren secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Celeste! Are you all right?!"

"I'm fine..." She muttered. Obviously she wasn't pleased to see their old friend again.

Soren stepped in front of them with Uranus's sword in hand.

"Baroach...Will you concede defeat now? Don't you think this has dragged on long enough?"

Baroach huffed for breath, clutching at the dagger marks in his sides. Why was he so silent? The three of them were surprised when the man abruptly staggered back further into the balcony. He was standing near its edge now.

Soren gasped. "What do you think you're doing?!"

_Don't tell me he's going to--?!_

"...Yeah...You know, Soren... I know we haven't agreed much in the past, but this time, I think you're right. Things have been dragging on for too damn long." Baroach coughed. He afforded a small smile to Celeste. "Do you get it now? I know what people say behind my back. No one would trust me, because I'm from the lower lands. It didn't matter what I did! It just wasn't... good enough...!"

"Baroach..."

_I was always criticized, and everybody watched me like a hawk. They labelled me a traitor before they even knew me, and always compared me to Soren. I tried telling myself to ignore it, that it didn't matter-- that someday, they would understand. But...it gave me comfort to know, that even if no one else would, at the very least...I had a few friends who I could count on... _

He took another step back and stepped onto the railing.

_But I risked it all, and now I'm faced with nothing. I truly am a traitor, and I've involved too many innocents for my own selfish cause. The only thing I can do now... is to end it honourably. _

"Baroach, wait! It doesn't have to be like this!" Even Celeste and Kali looked troubled now.

The man looked at Kali. The young woman wasn't angry anymore. There was something else in her eyes but he couldn't distinguish what it was.

"The only punishment fit for a traitor... is death, isn't it?"

Soren and Celeste were shouting at him, but he couldn't hear them. All he knew was that Kali wasn't saying anything. He felt tired, so very tired.

_I see._

He smiled and felt his balance fall back.

"BAROACH!"

Baroach dropped over the edge. The air rushed past his ears as he broke through the clouds, but he didn't make any attempt to struggle. He could see three figures look over the balcony from above before he dropped out of sight. In truth, this was the most peaceful that he ever felt in a long while.

_So that's it, isn't it? This is how it all ends…_ The man thought. _I've done many terrible things...but, I don't regret it..._

It felt ironic. After everything he did to get her attention, all this time he only had to die. He had to suppress a smile at that. But now that he thought about it, his original plan had been flawed from the start; if he succeeded and became a God, then Kali would have been the one to suffer if they had ever started a relationship. He thought back briefly to the Martian ruler. Would she make the same mistake?

_Kali..._

…_Good-bye…_

**

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**Next up in HFD, Ch. 13: Neptunalia**

**While the citizens of the upper lands rejoice over the recent overthrow of Baroach, Rei and the others have no time to celebrate in the festivities! Now that they know where Haruka has gone, the group makes a trip to Neptune… where two forces are eagerly awaiting their arrival.**

**What will the grown heirs learn in the place that haunts their pasts?**


	13. Neptunalia

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sailor Moon.

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* * *

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The citizens of the upper lands rejoiced with the news of Baroach's death. By dawn of the next morning, the civil war was officially declared to be over and a truce had been forged between Uranus and the Inner Alliance. In the light of the new day, civilians could be seen trudging back to their homes- all of them possessing golden hair and light coloured eyes. There was not a single person from the lower lands present. Baroach's men had fled long ago, and what few innocents that had been unfairly caught up in the war had been forced to sneak out during the commotion of the previous day. However, many felt that it was not a time to brood on the past. By late afternoon, people had rushed into the streets and were singing and dancing. All four planets celebrated together- Mars, Mercury, Jupiter and Uranus- for the first time in years. The people were so caught up in it that no one even noticed that none of their leaders were present.

(Martian shuttle, infirmary)

**Beep…beep…beep…**

A pair of troubled amethyst eyes silently regarded the figure lying on the bed. How long had she been standing there? The room was cool, but she felt frigid. Minako was sleeping soundly despite the grating bleeps of the heart monitor-- as least, Rei found it aggravating; last night, she found herself woken up several of times when she thought the noise had stopped. It hadn't, of course, but her imagination had gotten the best of her, even in dreams. It amazed even herself that she stayed the night. Since the Venusian had been admitted, the soldier had left the ward exactly once; she left early that morning to sign the peace treaty. But to her annoyance, she found herself back here right after. She couldn't understand it; she knew Minako's condition had stabilized. Ami had given her word and even attempted to explain the charts to her. But despite all the reasons she had to turn and walk away, she couldn't. Not yet.

_Why didn't I do anything sooner?_

In truth, if no one was able to intervene in time, even the Goddesses, then why did she think she could have? Rei didn't know. All she could do was helplessly watch as the scene replayed itself slowly and painfully in her mind. Minako's stunned expression at the exact moment the dagger pierced her prompted her to frown deeply.

_For a moment, I thought we were going to lose her..._

She recalled her moments on the battlefield where she had nearly lost herself due to bloodlust. It wasn't right, she needed to leave _NOW_.

**Beep…beep…beep…**

In that instant, Rei reached out and hesitatingly held one of Minako's hands. Unlike their first arrival to this planet, the woman's hand was cold and pale. She wondered if Minako subconsciously knew the state she was in.

She sighed. "You really are unlucky, you know that…?" Rei muttered under her breath. The woman was about to leave when Minako's hand twitched.

_Wait, did she just---?!_

**Click.**

The raven-haired woman instantly retracted her hand as Ami and Makoto entered the room.

"Oh, so this was where you were. Umm...so, how is she? Has anything happened since we were away? " Makoto tentatively asked. She was met with a calm and collected stare. However, she had a strong feeling that her friend was forcing it this time.

Rei turned away; the Martian was famous for that sort of stubbornness, especially since the incident many years ago in their child-hood days. But ever since Minako had walked into their lives, Makoto sincerely thought that there was some kind of progress-- that Rei was opening up again. She turned her green eyes to the unconscious woman. When she was ill, Minako and Ami were there for her. It didn't matter that none of them had known one another for very long, or the fact that the woman wasn't at the Planetary Meetings in their early days, she was still, as far as everyone was concerned, a member of the group.

"Nothing yet..." Rei said bluntly. There was that forced tone again—trying to appear unaffected, but rather reporting and sturdy.

Ami said nothing as she circled around the bed and picked up a stack of papers sitting beside the machine. Even now, the occasional sheet would churn out and land atop of the pile. Rei's heart skipped a beat when she saw her friend suddenly frown.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh... It's nothing. It seems that she's still making progress." Ami smiled. Trying to avoid the suspicious gaze, she peered back down at the papers and flipped through them again as if everything was in order. However, after many years of practice, the woman actually was speed reading the reports with intense scrutiny.

_That's strange… According to these reports, Minako is healing much slower than I had anticipated. How can this be? As far as I know of, the regenerative powers of most Gods and Goddesses are roughly equal. But Makoto's injuries on Jupiter were far worse, and yet she healed faster than Minako is. Could it be that Minako's regenerative abilities are just weaker than ours are?_

The woman was really beginning to feel as if Rei's gaze was about to burn a hole through her, so she quickly replied,

"I'm serious Rei. Minako is fine. In fact, I expect her to regain consciousness by this evening."

"Really?" Rei almost said too enthusiastically. Realizing her slip, the woman quickly tried to shove a calm mask back onto her face but failed horribly at the sound of Makoto cracking up with laughter.

"Geez Rei! What are we going to do with you...? You know, you don't have to pretend that you're not happy. I think we're all glad that Minako will be okay. I mean... it really was a close call, after all. You shouldn't take it for granted," she reminded her friend. "Even though she's going to heal physically, that doesn't guarantee that she'll be her usual self right off the bat. You heard what the soldiers said... She actually fought, so there's a good chance that she may have killed some people. Considering where she's from, it might be a huge shock to her system when she wakes up and realizes what she's done."

Rei was silent for a moment. She never actually considered it until now.

"Hey, can I ask you guys about something...?"

"Sure, what's on your mind?"

"What do you think will happen to Minako... if Aphrodite found out that she might have killed someone?"

_Oh._ "Actually, I don't really know." She looked pleadingly to Ami for some help.

"We actually know very little about Venus," Ami explained. "Since they've been absent from the Planetary Meetings and kept to themselves for so long, there's no telling how Aphrodite would react if she knew. But... considering that she is the Goddess of Love, the chances are not very favourable. It would probably be for the best if Minako refrained from fighting for awhile."

"Yeah, maybe staying low for awhile would be a good idea, at least, until we know what's going on," Makoto agreed. "When does she have to go back to Venus anyway?"

They both looked to the Martian.

"I don't know. She never said," Rei shrugged. "But anyway…I'm assuming that you two were checking up on Hotaru?"

Both Ami and Makoto noted the abrupt change in subject. However they decided not to press it. In fact, it was welcomed. Things were already awkward as they were.

"Hm? Actually, we were! How'd you guess?" Jupiter admitted bashfully. "She was fast asleep when we dropped by though. To be honest, I was a bit surprised that you asked Zen to bring her along. We were headed into a war zone after all."

"There were reasons for it…"

"Such as…?"

"It was to look for Haruka, wasn't it?" Ami interrupted.

"Nothing gets past you, does it? In any case, you're right. I asked Zen to bring her along for two reasons, one of them being what you just mentioned. Since Haruka found Hotaru, there's a good chance that there's a connection between them. She might be able to sense her if we're close by. After all, Hotaru is no ordinary child…"

"Actually, I just remembered something. Rei, does Hotaru have a family?" Makoto asked.

The Martian gave her a weird look. "No. Well, actually, I don't know. Haruka never mentioned it. Why?"

"Because when we were on Mercury, she followed me, and called me 'papa'. So...I was just wondering if she had a father or something."

"Hmmm..." Without thinking, Rei blurted out, "Well, now that you mentioned it, on Mars she said something similar. She asked where her papa was, and then called me Auntie Rei so-"

Both Ami and Makoto snorted, earning a deep scowl from the red-faced Martian. They both apologized.

"Sorry."

"Sorry."

"Ahem." Rei coughed. "The point is, she knew my name. Since Haruka was the one who left her there for me, there's a good chance that she may have mistaken Haruka for her father. That is, if she ever had one."

"That sounds reasonable to me." Ami nodded. "Both physically, and mentally, Hotaru acts like a child. If she had no family before meeting Haruka, then it would be an honest mistake to make."

No one wanted to say it, but Haruka did get mistaken for a boy several of times when they were younger.

"That's right. But that's also my other reason for bringing Hotaru with us. Even if she is, let's say... half of the key, she still acts like child. If anything was to happen to her on Mars, we wouldn't be able to get back there easily."

"Good point." Jupiter nodded. "When you guys put it that way, it makes perfect sense. But...I guess that just leaves us with just one question. Where do we go from here? We still don't know where Haruka is. I mean, if she was on Uranus, she would have shown up by now don't you think?"

"She's probably on Neptune." Rei answered.

"Huh? Did you just say, Neptune?"

Clearly, the news brought some discomfort to the three women in the room.

"Yeah... I don't like it either, but I heard this from a reliable source and it's the best clue we have right now."

This perked Ami's interest. "Who was it?"

"The former Uranus. But unfortunately during the war, he was killed."

"I see..."

Rei recalled the strange creature she had fought in the prison cell. She hadn't seen it since the civil war had ended, but she still felt somewhat uneasy.

"There's actually one other thing that I have to talk to you two about. It's very important."

She thought this was the best time to tell her friends about the unpleasant discovery, especially since Minako was still sound asleep.

"What is it?" Makoto encouraged. Her green eyes were serious, signalling that she was steeling herself for the briefing. It was already apparent by Rei's tone that this would not be good news.

"All right... I was there when Uranus died and what killed him was no ordinary soldier _or_ assassin. It wasn't even human. It was some shadow-like creature."

"A shadow creature...? I'm not trying to be mean but are you sure you weren't seeing things...?"

"I know what I saw-!" She was cut off when Ami interrupted her.

"That's enough. This is still an infirmary, so we should try to keep our voices down." She reminded them both. "In any case, you know Rei would never joke about such a thing, Makoto. You know that. And if she has already accepted this as a fact, then…"

The tall woman inwardly sighed. "Yeah, yeah, you're right... I'm sorry. It's just, after everything else that's happened, fighting a war and looking for Haruka and Michiru, you mean we have to watch out for monsters on top of all of that? It's kinda a lot to take in."

"Well, if it makes you feel better, you didn't have to fight it."

"You actually fought with it? What was it like?" Ami asked.

"Small and deadly fast," The Martian instantly replied. "It didn't have any distinguishable features, other than having the shape of a child and bright red eyes. Yes, I'm sure it wasn't human. There was no way an ordinary human could have that kind of speed or strength. Also, when I confronted it, none of my physical attacks could touch it. My sword went right through it, like I really was fighting a shadow."

"A shape of child and a skilled assassin…" Ami took this information into careful consideration. She had already created a hypothesis for the phenomenon, yet she wasn't sure if she could believe it herself. "I know this might be a bit of a stretch, but what if... what Rei encountered, was one of Apollo's assassins?"

The air became suddenly tense. Makoto almost immediately turned away from the rest of the group and walked towards the exit.

"Makoto? Where do you think you're going?!" Rei demanded.

"I was going to inform the pilot to set course for Neptune immediately. Someone has to do it. I assume that we'll be making this trip alone?"

_Makoto…_ Rei thought. _So she's still afraid of that place. But she's still willing to go?_

"Yes. I think it would be best to leave our armies here. There's no need to break up their victory celebration for a quick mission like this."

"Okay. Sounds good," The tall woman left the room. Rei was considering leaving as well when Ami beat her to it.

"Actually, while Makoto is doing that, there's something that I would like to look up before we leave. Do you mind?"

"Hm? No, not really... What do you need to look up though?"

"Well, I was just thinking. What you described today really may have been one of Apollo's assassins. Do you recall that story that Lady Neptune told us once when we were little?"

Rei somewhat tensed upon hearing the name. But she knew what Ami was talking about; she had only told that story to Nozomi awhile back when they were on their way to Mercury.

"You mean... the one where the Sun King used children for his dirty deeds?"

"Yes. If I recall correctly, she said he used them for spying purposes and assassinations."

"That's pretty cowardly if you ask me."

"He's done worse." Ami said quietly. Who else was responsible for forcing a few of the heirs to prematurely ascend to the throne? Rei had also fallen silent; a fleeting look of guilt crossed her face. "It's all right. That's all in the past now. What we need to focus on now is finding Haruka and Michiru. If Haruka went to Neptune, then there may be a chance that Michiru is with her."

"Yeah... You're right."

"In the meantime, I'll go research some of those stories again. You said that physical attacks didn't affect them, correct?"

"Mm."

"That's interesting... because I don't remember anything like that being mentioned in the story. Then again, what you described was shadows and not actual physical manifestations of people. Obviously something has changed here." She paused. "Also, if the enemy is really that close, then it might be a good idea if we took Hotaru along with us to Neptune. If she really is the half of the key, Apollo may come after her. What do you think?"

"I hadn't really thought about it." Rei admitted. There were a lot of pressing issues on her mind and a make-believe Sun God really wasn't one of them. "But when you put it that way, I would have to agree with you. If another one of those shadows show up, there's no way any of our men would be able to defend themselves against that thing, let alone Hotaru. I guess we'll have to take her with us after all."

"All right, then I'll let Makoto know about it the next time I see her. Oh, and before I forget... If Minako wakes up before any of us are back, could you please give her our best regards? Makoto and I really hope she gets well soon."

Rei's mouth nearly dropped in surprise. She really wasn't going to do this to her, was she?

_What...?_

"Thanks Rei." Ami smiled, and then left the room.

**Click.**

_You're making a big mistake. _A voice inside Rei taunted as Ami shut the door behind herself. _If you knew, you wouldn't have left me alone with her._ She was certain of it.

Rei refused to turn around and look at Minako's sleeping face. The three of them, Rei, Ami and Makoto, not Minako, were going to leave for Neptune by themselves. Minako was going to stay here and get better. And in order for that to happen, to guarantee it, Rei couldn't be there. The soldier knew better than anyone what she was capable of.

The woman thought back to early that morning. After signing the peace treaty with Uranus, Rei had handed over Mars's sword to Zen for safe keeping in hopes of curbing the deadly temptation to kill.

"_Zen."_

"_Sir?"_

"_I want you to hold onto this for me."_

"_Ah-B-But that's... You know I can't! Only the leader of Mars may carry that sword!"_

"_You're worrying too much. I only said that I would like you to hold onto it for me. It's just a temporary thing."_

"_Oh... Well, in that case...I guess it'll be okay."_

"_Good. Now give me your sword."_

"_I-What?!"_

She had taken her officer's sword in exchange of her own. But frustratingly enough, even without the weapon in her hands, her senses still tingled from the effects of the bloodlust.

"You better get well soon…" Rei whispered. Again she heard nothing but silence. She then sighed and rubbed her eyes, feeling suddenly worn out. With her friends out of the room, she could finally relax and allow her posture to slump somewhat. She didn't sleep very well last night.

_I should get some sleep. _Rei sighed again and shook her head. She should go to her room, but there were a multitude of reasons keeping her back: firstly, Ami had told her to stay put in a very subtle way (she didn't want the woman angry with her). Secondly, she was also in charge of guarding Minako (a plan that she was unwillingly forced into when the two first met on Mars). At that moment, Rei could almost laugh. She had to admit--when it came to making up excuses, she was the best. Quite simply, she didn't want to leave until she knew the Venusian was really all right.

If she wasn't going to sleep, at the very least, then, she decided to settle on getting a drink of water. She didn't have much of an appetite anyway.

"I'll be right back." She tried to step away from the bed, but was held back.

_**Tug.**_

"What?" Rei whipped her head around and froze. She found herself staring into drowsy, blue cerulean eyes.

"Minako…" Unconsciously she turned around and yanked out of the blonde's weak grip. Minako was awake. Perhaps she was still somewhat out of it, but she was conscious as far as Rei could tell.

Breathing a little heavily, Minako swallowed hard and managed to gasp out, "…Please stay?" She tried to say more to convince her friend to stay, yet she had difficulty forming the words in her mind. "Rei…?" To her surprise Rei was shaking. The woman had her hands had balled up into tight fists by her sides as if she was fighting for control.

The blonde could only watch with concern as the Martian woman hesitatingly lifted her hand into the air, and…

_**SLAP!**_

_Ah…_ Minako was speechless. All she was aware of in that moment was the burning of her cheek and Rei's sudden words of anger.

"What were you thinking?!" Rei demanded angrily. She still hadn't stopped shaking. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!"

"Rei, I---"

"But what?! You just charge into battle thinking you can handle it? People go into a battle with the intention to KILL Minako! You were lucky you didn't die! And why didn't you use your powers to kill him?! You're a Goddess aren't you?!"

"But I--"

"We're going to Neptune." The other woman instantly cut her off, darkly. Minako tilted her head to one side, appearing very confused and hurt.

"Neptune?" She was surprised that she even got one word in before Rei went off again.

"I want you to stay here and rest for the time being. Ami, Makoto, and myself, will handle the situation alone."

"Huh? No, wait a sec! I'm coming with you!"

"Didn't you just hear a word I said? I'm saying it's too dangerous for you! You're becoming too reckless!"

"Excuse me?!" Minako pushed herself up and threw her legs over the edge of the mattress.

"Now wait a minute--"

"NO--" The blonde found a surprising amount of strength and shoved Rei. The woman fell back against the floor in shock. "YOU wait. Just...What's gotten into you Rei? Suddenly you're treating me like I can't handle anything myself! I'm not a little girl!"

The shocked expression on Rei's face suddenly leaned into anger. "Yeah...? Well, you sure fight like one. It takes a lot of talent to get stabbed like you did... _Princess._"

Minako threw her arms into the air with an exasperated sigh. "Yeah, 'cause that's very mature Rei. Look, if there's something wrong, can't you just tell me?" With some obvious effort, Minako lowered herself to the room and squatted down to be eye level with the other woman. "Are you just angry because I'm finally trying to stand up for myself? Have you ever thought, even once, that maybe, just maybe...I don't want to always be protected? Rei, look at me!"

"What would your mother think if she knew what you did?"

The words just came out. Minako instantly fell silent with a stunned expression playing on her tense face.

"You didn't think about that, did you?" Rei asked more quietly.

_I guess if you hang out a murderer too long, you become one yourself eventually..._ She could see it now; the Goddess Aphrodite, in her full glory, banging down her front door for converting her daughter into a murderous fiend.

The Martian pulled away and stood up to leave. She was nearly at the door when Minako stopped her.

"Wait."

"What is it now?"

"Is this what it's about? Are you worried about what my mother would think?"

"..."

"Just so you know... it doesn't matter."

The comment drew a curious gaze from the Martian. There was no way in Mars that she heard what she just heard.

"You're still in shock. I think someone needs to get more sleep."

"I'm serious!" Minako was feeling so frustrated. Why was she giving her such a hard time? "Look, I know what I did. And yes, I killed some people. But, that was my choice. I chose to do that. I did, what I thought was right... If I'm going to be punished for what I did, then I'll accept it when the time comes."

**Creak.**

Rei turned the knob and opened the door.

"Rei, wait!" Minako pleaded. "Please let me come with you! We've already gone this far together, so why should we stop now?"

The Martian commander was silent for a moment.

"Makoto and Ami said that they wish you would get better soon... They were worried about you." She paused. "The trip to Neptune won't be a long one. So, I would rest as much as possible until then. Hotaru is coming along with us, and we don't need a tired babysitter."

The Martian didn't wait to see the happy smile on Minako's face before she left.

_I'm sorry Minako... but I just can't look at you right now. _

_  
_(-Dark Chamber-)

In a dark, damp chamber, the sound of trickling water could be heard in the background. However, the noise was not the reason for one of its two inhabitants losing concentration. The taller of the two, dressed in a knight's armor, was the first to return to reality. After holding the stance for a few more seconds, she suddenly gasped and released her pose as a backlash of wind filled the vast cavern.

"D-Damn it...!" The sandy-blonde haired woman shook her head as the wind brushed against her face. "It's no good!" She growled in a low voice. Unconsciously, her eyes were instantly drawn to where she felt her companion's presence.

In the distance, she could make out an aquamarine glow being reflected against an oval piece of glass. It was a mirror, and in front of it she could make out the silhouette of a woman with shoulder-length, wavy hair. Unlike herself, this woman appeared to be much more refined to the cultural ways of the court. The air in which she carried herself was calm, yet strong and determined at once—like waves of an ocean; one could almost feel a mysterious foreboding force lurking underneath that pretty, delicate expression.

"Michiru?" The knight tentatively called out to her. "Have you found anything yet?"

The impatient blonde was sorely tempted to step towards the alluring maiden, but she somehow suppressed the urge. The light that surrounded her companion was one that brought uneasiness to her alert senses; for up ahead, Michiru had completely immersed herself within a spiritual separation spell. It was a first rate spell that demanded the strictest of magic standards from its user-- the few that even knew of the spell's existence would have also known that only a rare few amongst the God's rank were capable of performing it.

The mirror pulsed several of times before the maiden finally regained consciousness. Her eyelids briefly fluttered before she turned her aquamarine eyes towards her companion. For some reason, the knight nearly stepped back upon seeing those faintly glowing eyes gazing at her; the feeling was electric. It was as if the maiden could see into the depths of her soul, despite the darkness, as if she were casting a different spell just for her.

"I'm afraid not…" She said in a melodic voice. "_She_ is proving to be very difficult. Every time as I am about discover something new _she_ stubbornly blocks my way." Michiru regretfully informed her companion. "Hmm…? Haruka love, why do you stay in the dark?"

Haruka noticed how Michiru's eyes danced with amusement as she said this. The blonde knew what her partner expected, but she wasn't going to get it.

"We've got company."

"…Is that so?"

"Yeah, more than one I'm afraid." The hairs on the back of Haruka's neck were standing up.

"Haruka… It wasn't your fault that he's…"

"But if I had only gotten to that thing sooner! Then just maybe…!" She shook her head. After a moment, she finally said, "No, I know. You don't even have to say it. What's done is done, right? He was already gone long before that thing even showed up. But, I swear... I won't let that kind of thing happen again! This time, with this power…"

Michiru calmly watched Haruka's golden aura flare up, its energy was flowing throughout the room and overlapping hers.

_It's different now._ She calmly analyzed. _I can only pray that she will be able to handle this newfound strength._

"I'm going now."

(Inner Alliance, Neptunalia, Night)

_**Wooooooooosh…**_

Ami, Makoto, Hotaru, Minako and Rei now all stood before Neptune's palace, _Neptunalia_. The royal structure looked completely different at night. In the dark, it almost looked like an ancient, long abandoned tomb. Beyond the non-existent gates, the courtyard was completely deserted. The open windows within the towering structure bore no glass, or light to illuminate the shadows (once or twice, the women half-expected a candle light to flicker off in the darkness or to see a pale face staring at them through a window). They all had to wonder: is this what a palace transformed into during the absence of a rightful ruler? Or did it merely reveal its true face when the light of the day could no longer hide the ugly history, forever etched within its walls?

Minako nervously looked around with Hotaru sleeping peacefully in her arms. No noise could be heard except for the soft, eerie whispers of wind, and the faint sound of running water in the background.

"What's that noise?" She whispered.

"Don't worry about it," Ami whispered back. "You're just hearing the water from the waterways in the city."

"So you mean, they actually have running rivers here?"

"Mhm."

Rei scanned the grounds ahead of them once more and narrowed her eyes. "Something's not right." She mumbled under her breath.

"What is it? Do you sense something?" Makoto asked.

"Is it just me, or did anyone else notice how ridiculously easy it was to get here?"

"Actually... I was wondering about that too." The ruler from Jupiter slowly agreed. "The planet's defence shield was already lowered by the time we got here. For a moment I thought something might've happened here, like on Uranus, but it looks like they're fine." They didn't have to look any further than the peacefully, sleeping citizens the city far behind them to attest to that. "Do you think it's a trap?"

Ami was typing at her computer again, already having taken the possibility into account.

"Actually, Neptune's planet shield was up just moments before we hit their orbit," she corrected her friend.

"You mean...?"

"Yes. Someone must have known that we were coming and intentionally dropped it."

"Then the only question is who." Rei quietly muttered.

Ami's computer screen cross examined many sections of the palace, forming a small, but temporary, map on her face visor.

"I think we all would like to know the answer to that question. The problem is, my computer is detecting nothing."

…_**Ping…**_

_Sometimes you rely on that mechanical bunch of bolts a bit too much! _Rei was sorely tempted to say it, but instead she opted for, "Remember, Ami, it's just a machine. There are probably some things that it _can't _detect. Besides, I _know _something is here. Didn't either of you just feel it?"

Silently, both Makoto and Ami relaxed the restraints on their powers and concentrated.

…_**Ping…**_

"...Yeah, I hear it too." Makoto was the first to mutter. Ami nodded beside her, but the woman didn't put away her computer. Instead she had the machine hone in onto the signal and used a thread of her aura to track its general direction.

"I have it." She reported. "What will we do? Should we go and investigate it?"

"That's what we came here to do." Rei told her. She did realize that this meant that they would have to enter the accursed place. "If we want to be sure whether Haruka is here or not, we have to exhaust every clue we can get."

The Martian Commander looked to Makoto, back to Ami, and then at her two charges. Minako looked incredibly nervous, which was to be expected in the Martian's opinion. Yet it was the sleeping Hotaru that held her gaze the longest; the child's innocence was almost surreal in this gloomy atmosphere. How could she look so calm and peaceful while the rest of them were practically shaking in their boots?

_She just looks like a normal little girl. _Rei thought. _Can someone really be capable of so much power…? Huh. _A dark thought crossed the woman's mind. _I don't know whether or not I believe in all of this. Dark assassins, the key, Apollo… but what I do know is this- Makoto, Ami, myself… and now, Minako—none of us are exactly innocent anymore. At some point or another, we've all shed blood. We've all caused some destruction on our own accord. If we ever go into another war in the future, then this is nothing in comparison. _

_We can do this._

With that decided the group all nodded to each other and silently followed Mercury's lead into the palace.

(Neptunalia)

Following closely behind their friend, the group quickly found themselves treading through an empty maze of corridors. Tiny steps were taken as each and every individual was on their guard; the night had eerily shrouded the building, casting its shadows into conspicuous shapes between the rows of columns; what little pale moonlight they had to guide their way through the dark created a ghostly effect, so much that Makoto, Ami and Rei felt like they were all about to relive a dream--a nightmare.

**Tup… tup… tup…**

_It's so cold…_ Makoto suppressed the urge to shiver. Although she was dressed head to toe in warm clothing, she couldn't completely fight off the icy atmosphere. She could already see her breath.

**Tup… tup.. tup…**

_Oooh… I really don't like this. _Ami occasionally glanced behind her to make sure that everyone was still there. She hated the thought of being separated from her friends, especially if it was in a place like this. But remembering Rei's words her eyes trained back onto her computer screen. _It feels like we're going nowhere. The map keeps growing bigger, but the signal is still far out of reach. And I'm not picking up any heat energies or-- anything! Could Haruka and Michiru really be here? I hope they're all right..._

Rei kept on guard by dispersing some of her aura at every intersection the group encountered; the shadows wouldn't let her forget what happened on Uranus, and _that _day.

_I won't make any more mistakes..._ She swore to herself.

_**Trip**_

"YIPE!"

Everyone jumped and whirled towards the sound, only to see that Minako had accidentally tripped herself.

"I-I-I'm sorry, I'll try to be more careful," She promised. The Venusian briefly considered flashing them a reassuring smile, but her friends' pale faces froze her in her tracks. Ami, Rei's and Makoto's eyes, all of them, within that one split second, were filled with intense fear and apprehension. If she hadn't been who she was, Minako was sure that they all would have struck her down without any hesitation.

" I'm sorry…" She repeated again, sincerely. Hotaru made a small shift in her arms and gave a content yawn, clearly showing no signs that she was aware of what was going on.

This time Jupiter and Mercury relaxed, silently pardoning their comrade. Rei, on the other hand, was too preoccupied with her racing thoughts to say anything.

"It's all right. No harm done," Makoto finally shrugged. "We didn't mean to scare you either. I guess we're all a little afraid." She muttered the last part.

"It's not because of the dark, is it?" Minako questioned aloud. She turned around and glanced down the hallway behind them, where its end lay somewhere in the shadows, and then back in front of them where they could not see their immediate path; each end was a mystery of its own. "This place feels so strange… It's darker somehow, nothing like any of the other palaces that I've been to. It's just so cold, and every step we take it's like there's an echo. Maybe it's just me, but I'm not getting good vibes from this place."

The three childhood friends all averted each other's gazes and looked down at the floor, each alone in their own thoughts. From one look Minako could obviously see that she wasn't the only one who felt that way. But she had a feeling that she was missing out on something; they knew something that she didn't.

"Did… something happen here?" She cautiously asked.

Rei sighed, and then walked around her and gently pushed the woman forward until she stood in the middle of their group. Meanwhile, Makoto had stepped up until she stood side by side with Ami; Rei took her back.

"Guys?" Minako nervously asked again. She nearly dropped Hotaru when Ami suddenly spoke up.

"Minako… Do you remember when Makoto was telling you about the Planetary Meetings back on Jupiter?"

"W-Well...Yeah, kinda? Why?"

"Eight years ago, Neptune was designated to host the Planetary Meeting. As you now know, the purpose of the event was to gather the heirs together so that they could become acquainted with one another. It was meant to be an ordinary get together, but…"

_But...?_

"But what?"

"Think about what happened on Jupiter." Rei gently nudged her forward. The woman's eyes went wide, and a gasp left her lips.

_No..._

"Y-You mean something like _that _happened here?" Judging by the other's silence, Minako knew she had hit it dead on. "Someone died here? A _Goddess_ died here?" In that moment she could've sworn that she felt a cold breath on the back of her neck.

**…****ping…**

"It was a murder, yes." Rei bluntly informed the woman. The images in her mind began to swirl as she forced herself to keep her voice steady. "It happened when Ami, Makoto, and myself were still only children. That day, we ran into the Goddess of Neptune while we were looking for Haruka and Michiru, almost like we are now. There was something wrong with her. She was… walking like she was in a trance. So we decided to follow her. We stayed far behind her and followed her for the longest time… We just kept walking, and walking, until she suddenly vanished. And then, the next thing any of us knew, we were running. Even now, I don't know how to exactly describe it. Something definitely felt wrong, like… something was calling out to us. That was how we came upon the scene."

**. . .**

_The trio bolted down the staircase and ran straight into the lighted room. Rei was the first to appear on the other side. The change was instantaneous. As soon as the Martian heir had charged into the room she was rebuffed by an intense wave of light and heat. She yelped and squinted her eyes shut, unconsciously bringing her hands up to cup her ears. There was a loud crackling all around her--it flooded into her ears and sent all of her sense onto the alert; fire! She realized. Before she knew it, a backlash of hot air burst across the room and nearly knocked her over. The girl grunted, and had somehow held her ground. When she was finally able to open her eyes, she was met by a wall of flame. The element was not red and orange, like she was accustomed to seeing, but it was a bright blue; the flames danced with a menacingly air to them before her. But it was what she saw behind those flames that made her eyes widen in petrified shock._

"_Ah… W-What is...?" For the first time for the longest while, she felt afraid._

_The ground suddenly quaked with a loud boom. Her balance dangerously waned until two pairs of arms gripped down from either side of her body and steadied her. Ami and Makoto had caught up and were now beside her._

"_Ami! Makoto! I---" Rei tried to describe what she was feeling, but she failed horribly. She felt them both huddle closer to her as they finally saw what she saw. Together, the three friends laid their eyes on the two figures behind the wall of fire. It was Ares, and the elder Neptune-- their powers were fiercely clashing against each other._

"_Why…" Rei whispered. 'Why is he doing this?!' She thought to herself. She was shocked, and was quickly becoming angry._

_Ares swung his sword towards his opponent and released a blast of hot, red fire!_

_**Swish!**_

_**Whup!**_

_**KABOOM!**_

_Neptune deflected the blast and someone screamed. However, it was not the Goddess who had cried out, but rather a younger voice behind her. Rei then noticed something odd about Neptune's position. She could have easily avoided the blast if she chose to, but for some reason the woman refused to budge from her position._

"_Mother! I'm scared!"_

"_Look! It's Haruka and Michiru!" Makoto spotted them and pointed them out._

_The two girls were huddled together on the ground behind the Goddess. Haruka had wrapped her arms protectively around Michiru, holding the smaller girl close and tight as the ground continued to shake beneath them. Unfortunately, it appeared that the pair hadn't noticed their friends amidst the sounds of explosions that continued to rattle the room._

"_Rei?! What are you doing?!" Makoto felt Rei pull away from her and Ami. But the girl brushed her off and shocked them all when she suddenly ran towards the blue flames. "Don't!"_

"_Rei!" Ami was about to burst into tears._

_Mars's heir ignored her friends' pleas, and stubbornly closed in on the fire. When she neared the inferno, instead of shying away she gained speed and jumped headfirst towards it. For a split second the blistering heat was on her skin, but as quickly as she had felt it she was through and rolled to a stop on the other side. She could definitely feel the heat now. The temperature within the ring was so hot-- she was having some difficulty breathing._

_Behind her, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Makoto attempt to charge the flames as well, only to be sent flying back. That was strange, but Rei paid it no mind; there were more important things to take care._

"_STOP IT!" She shouted at Ares. The girl grabbed for something nearby, a rock and hurled it at the God. The attempt was laughable-- it bounced off his thick armor without even leaving as much as a scratch. "What do you think you're doing?!" She yelled and threw another rock._

_**Tink!**_

_This time Ares took notice of her and turned slowly around. Rei felt her heart skip a beat when his gaze finally took her in. Behind the God of War she could see an orange energy manifest behind him. The entity turned with the man and together, she saw them both grin at her; the God of Mars wore a plastered sneer as the entity burst out into crackling laugher._

"_What is…?" Rei felt her eyes widen. Her legs were paralyzed with fear._

'_That thing?!' She wanted to shout._

"_Rei! Watch out!" Haruka bellowed. _

"_Huh?" _

_Before Rei knew what was happening, both her mentor and Haruka were racing running towards her. Haruka made it to her first and tackled her out of harm's way._

"_Oof!"_

_**BOOM!**_

_The ground split apart behind them._

"_Haruka--!" Rei tried to say more, but she was stopped by a looming shadow. She slowly turned around. Towering over them both, with his sword raised, the God of War stared down at them with his eyes drowned in bloodlust._

"_Damn it!" Haruka growled under her breath. She tried to stand up and move in front of Rei, but a smaller figure jumped out in front of them._

_**Tup!**_

"_Michiru?!" The two girls cried incredulously. Michiru was visibly shaking, but she stubbornly stood there with her arms spread out in an attempt to stay brave._

_Before either Haruka or Rei could move, the sword came down._

"_MOTHER!"_

_**SLASH!**_

_Time seemed to slow down as the events persisted to agonizingly inch forward. A tall figure with long, braided aquamarine hair was falling diagonally-- a long gash ran down from her front through her back. Blood splashed to the ground and onto the heirs, drenching them with the remains of her life. No one could utter a single word to describe how they felt just then, amidst the fire, heat, or blood; no one could find the words even as Ares and the entity disappeared in a storm of maniacal laughter._

_No one could say anything… Until Michiru realized what had happened._

"_EYAAAAAAAAAAH!"_

**. . .**

"So she died trying to protect you?" Minako quietly asked.

Rei immediately turned her head away and bit her bottom lip. She didn't want to admit it; that the Goddess died because of her, so she instead said the first words that came to mind.

"I didn't ask for it…"

"Rei! What would she say if she heard you say that?" Ami scolded, appearing to be very shocked. But Rei didn't reply.

_What would she say? I--I don't know. I barely knew her._

The guilt that she felt inside was slowly eating away at her, even after all of these years. It had greatly intensified ever since she knew she would be returning to this place, ever since she first stepped foot within these palace walls. If she hadn't interfered, perhaps Lady Neptune would still be alive today. There was always the reasoning that the result could have been the same, regardless of what she did, yet now they would never know. All they knew was what had happened. Neptune had died.

**Tup…tup…tup…**

Everyone felt their blood ran cold. They all looked at each other with startled eyes and questioning gazes; none of them were moving. So then, where were the footsteps coming from?

The temperature seemed to plummet all around them.

…**ping…**

**Tup…tup…tup…tup…**

Rei jumped when she caught a blue light from the corner of her eye. She turned on the spot with her arms up, ready to defend herself and her companions if necessary. But instead, she caught her heart in her throat. They all did.

**Lubb dubb! Lubb dubb! Lubb dubb!**

_No. It can't be…_

A semi-transparent figure was walking towards them. At a first glance, she was a young woman perhaps just reaching her late twenties. The former heirs felt their hearts pound harder as the figure's long, braided aquamarine hair waved occasionally swung into sight from behind her back as Minako remained obvious. The Venusian calmly observed her as she drew nearer. The stranger wore a long dress and slip on dress-shoes as if she were about to attend a high class social gathering. But there couldn't possibly be any parties going on at night, could there? Something did seem strange, however; it was in the way she moved. It was almost mechanical.

**Tup…tup…tup…**

_Who is she? _Minako wondered. The blonde couldn't quite make out the stranger's face due to the woman's bangs over-shadowing her eyes. She turned to her friends and was ready to ask the question when she noticed the same fearful expression in their eyes from before. They had all gone deathly white, almost as white as the stranger.

Rei backed away until her back was made flush against the nearby wall, as everyone else did, and held her breath as the figure neared them. A few infuriating seconds passed, followed by a stunned silence as the woman walked right by them and continued down the corridor in silence. Had she even seen them?

"What?" Rei breathed.

"It's like that time..." Makoto breathed.

_It's like she's walking in a trance, but… she should be dead! What's going on here?_

**Fttzt!**

Ami yelped and dropped her computer; the screen had suddenly sparked as though some invisible force touched it. Or rather, something tampered with it. The woman had only blinked when the screen died. It abruptly sprung back to life after a few seconds, but the areas they had cleared had been erased from its memory. Worse yet, she found that she could no longer pick up the signals from her previous aura paths. Everything about their position, how to get back, where they were going, it was gone. The only thing they had left was the single, yellow point that was slowly moving on Ami's computer screen. It trailed with a blue line behind it, lightning up a small area of the map as it continued along its way.

"What wrong Ami?" Makoto automatically asked, but she was afraid to hear the answer.

"The screen…" Mercury mouthed. The dot was in close proximity.

_But the only thing that is moving is… _Ami looked up and her eyes fell onto the ghostly figure of Neptune. She quickly checked the screen again, but she was not mistaken; the trail was being marked by the former Goddess.

"The map is gone. All we have left is this. She's...She's showing us the way." The blue-haired woman finally told her friends.

Rei did a double take and glanced down at the computer. "Wait, you mean we have to FOLLOW her? Are you out of your mind?! How do we even know it's her?"

"Wait, who? You mean that woman?" Minako stepped in. "Who is she?"

"Be quiet for a minute." Rei snapped. She heard Minako gasp.

"Hey, cut it out you two." Ami sternly told her. "We have to figure this out. We don't have the time to be fighting amongst ourselves."

The three women all began to discuss their next plan of action, and Minako quickly found herself left out of the conversation. To say the least, her feelings were mildly hurt.

"Look, what other choice do we have? Ami's map is gone." Makoto pointed out uneasily. "I don't like it anymore than you do, but without it we could be stuck in this maze for Goddess knows how long… And if we're still here when morning comes, we'll risk being caught."

"Tch."

**…****ping!**

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

"Huh? Oh no, what's wrong Hotaru?" Minako tried to hush to the little girl, but she wouldn't stop crying. "I-I don't know what happened, she just—started crying!"

**ping!**

"Maybe for a good reason!" Rei withdrew her sword and faced the direction where Neptune first emerged. In the darkness she could make out a slight movement; it triggered something in her memory, from the time she spent within Uranus's prison cell. It was the very same feeling she sensed right before they had been ambushed by the shadow creature.

_Oh no!_

"You've all got to run! Now! Get Hotaru out of here!" She ordered.

"But---" Makoto began.

"I don't care what you do! Even if you have to follow _her_! Just GO!"

"Geh. All right..." Jupiter finally relented at her friend's insistence. "Come on!" She pushed Ami and Minako forward. Minako looked like she was hesitating, but when a dark figure shot out of the darkness and Rei countered it she beginning to have second thoughts.

"I'll catch up later!" Rei cried. She swung her sword against the small dagger the creature wielded, and threw her opponent back. The sound of scurrying footsteps behind her told her that her friends were following her advice after all. There was some relief in knowing that she could fight without worrying about Minako or Hotaru being hurt; after all, this time she knew that her childhood friends were with them.

"Now as for you…"

The creature narrowed its red eyes and held up its dagger, indicating it would face her.

_Physical attacks don't work on it. _The soldier reminded herself. _So then…._

"What about this?!" Rei swung her sword up over her head, and a fierce red aura ignited and swirled about it blade. "Taaaake...THIS!"

_**Swish!**_

_**ShroooooooooooM!**_

"GrAAR!" Her opponent cried out. Its posture was now bent over, appearing as if it were struggling to re-position itself back into its fighting stance. It came as a surprise to the Martian that her spiritual power could inflict that much pain on the monster.

"I see." Rei analyzed. _Perhaps this is their drawback to having a physical immunity!_

She charged herself up for another attack and launched forward, this time bringing the blade down and through the creature; she wasn't about to let it recover like the one back on Uranus.

_This is for Uranus! _"HaAAAAAH!"

**SLASH!**

"RaaaaaHahHh!" It let out its last inhumane cry and transformed into a glowing sphere of light before shooting away.

**Woooosh!**

**Tup…tup…**

_Another one?!_

Rei whipped around and pointed her blade towards the shadows. She was ready for anything, except _this._

"You figured it out. I'm impressed..." Short, blonde hair came into sight from beside one of the columns. Rei was especially startled to see a pair of familiar, dark green eyes staring straight back at her.

"…Haruka."

(Corridors, group)

**Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!**

Minako, Ami and Makoto all sprinted down the dark corridors after their supernatural guide. Ami for one was just astonished at how fast the woman was suddenly moving; when they had encountered her for the first time, she was walking at a leisurely pace. But if the yellow dot on her head visor was of any indication, the Goddess of Neptune could very well be flying.

_The--The signal is moving so fast! What's going on here? _Mercury gasped between breaths, "Is there anyone behind us?"

"I-I don't think so!" Makoto yelled back. She couldn't sense anything behind them, but the darkness still seemed to be closing in. Where was Rei?

_I just hope Rei is okay!_ Jupiter thought to herself.

"Huff! Huff! Huff! H-How much farther do we have to run?!" Minako wheezed.

"I don't know!"

Minako felt like she was dying. She had gotten some rest during the trip, but it still hadn't been enough. She was clearly struggling to keep up with the other two women. On the bright side, though, Hotaru had stopped crying by now. But if the three women had the luxury to slow down and rest, they would have found the girl to be too quiet; Hotaru's dark eyes were sharp and critically observant of the passageway ahead of them, as if she was staring at something that none of them could see.

"If she's getting heavy, I can take her!" Makoto offered.

"No, that's okay," Minako automatically turned down the kind offer. "Rei… huff, huff, told me to watch her!"

_I should be able to do this much, at the very least!_

"Well, all right! But if it becomes too much, feel free to ask!"

"'Kay!"

**Beep! Beep! Beep!**

**Ping!**

The trio reached another intersection when a black figure suddenly launched out of the darkness at them.

"Wha-the?!"

"HAH!!" Makoto reacted instinctively and blasted it with a portion of her power.

**CRACKLE!**

"Graarh!"

The attack had managed to stun the monster long enough for them to unanimously opt for a new direction.

"This way!" Ami shouted.

Again they were on the move, following their only signal.

**Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!**

The three of them finally reached a familiar area that both Ami and Makoto quickly recognized. Minako nearly ran into the two women when they abruptly skidded to a stop.

_What's going on?_ "Hey, why did we stop?"

Minako peeked over their shoulders and saw that they were standing in front of a long spiral staircase heading downwards. And at the very bottom, an eerie light shone out from the entrance of a room.

"Do we have to go down there?" Minako nervously asked. The negative vibes were very strong in this area.

"Kreeeeh!" Another shadow-creature came barrelling at them from behind with a dagger posed.

**CRACKLE!**

"GraAAarH!"

"It doesn't look like we have much of a choice. I say we go for it!" Makoto grunted. Beads of perspiration were now glimmering on her brow. Both Ami and Minako weren't fairing much better; they were all getting tired. If they didn't find a safe place soon, then sooner or later they would be forced to fight.

Without sparing any more precious time, the Goddesses all charged through the opening below and cried out in surprise when they all slipped upon entering the room. None of them could have possibly anticipated the ankle-deep puddles of water within the cavern; since their last visit, it appeared that water had seeped through the walls and penetrated into the underground chamber. They hardly recognized it.

"O-Ouch..." Minako grimaced. She tried to get up, but nearly slipped once again until Makoto caught her.

"Careful there! This floor is made out of rock so it's very slippery!"

"Y-Yeah... I kinda figured that out."

Ami splashed through the water to find her computer. It was a shame, but when she finally found it the machinery had already short circuited-- they were lucky that it didn't electrocute them all.

"Oh no... Ami, your computer!" Makoto and Minako both noticed it as well.

"It's fine. I can always rebuild it later." The ruler of Mercury said in a calm voice. She nimbly pocketed it in her jacket. After all, if she was helpless without her little computer then she wouldn't be qualified to be the leader of her planet. Ami then scanned the grounds and spotted higher ground a distance away; it appeared to be the only relatively dry place remaining. "We should head for high ground," she advised. "If we're having difficulty walking through this water, then perhaps those creatures will as well."

That was what they did. Ami led the way in front, followed by Minako, with Makoto lagging behind at the end. The water was cold and it soaked through their footwear, but they didn't dare to stop. After encountering two assassins in such a short time, there was a high chance that more would appear soon to finish the job.

_This is just crazy! _Makoto silently contemplated. She could feel her feet becoming numb from the cold. _Why are they chasing us? They really aren't after Hotaru are they?_

"Raaaar!"

To everyone's surprise, a third shadow assassin had appeared at the doorway they had entered from only a few minutes before. It glared at them with its red eyes, noticing the water but hesitating to make a move.

_It stopped! _Makoto thought. But before the tall woman could breathe a sigh of relief, the monster dove into the water and began running at them with inhumane speed. The water wasn't slowing it down in the slightest.

"Makoto!"

"Damn!" Makoto threw out her hand and tried to call her power, only to find it incredibly weakened and slow to come to her command.

_Oh no! I've used too much, too quickly!_ The Goddess from Jupiter realized. "HaaAH!"

**Crackle!**

The small bolt of lightning collided head on with the creature, but it barely slowed it down. It manoeuvred past the woman before she could stop it.

"No!"

Ami stepped up and was about to try her luck when, without warning, the monster hurled its dagger at her. She was caught off-guard.

**SHK!**

"AHH!" Ami yanked back her hand and gripped it tight with her other hand; the small blade had ripped through the outside of her arm, cutting a red trail from her hand right up through her right shoulder.

"Ami!" Minako cried. She eased her friend down onto her knees as she attempted to assess the wound. Honestly, Minako didn't know what to do. All that came to her mind was to try to stop the bleeding, so she pressed her hands over the long gash as best as she could. As she did that, Ami struggled to summon up a portion of her power again but it wasn't fast enough. The assassin was upon them in an instant.

"MINAKO!"

"Look out!"

Time seemed to slow down as Minako turned her head and stared up at the falling figure. Her blue eyes widened in fear, and a trickle of sweat fell down one side of her face. All she could do was remember her promise to Rei, that she would protect Hotaru, so she wrapped her arms protectively around the girl and bent over her to shield her. However, Hotaru remained unperturbed. She looked their enemy straight in the eye as the dagger came down, and uttered a single word,

"Papa..."

A strong voice then pierced the area, followed by a bright flash of golden light.

"World…SHAKING!" A golden sphere in the shape of a planet burst forth at the enemy.

_**WrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrRrRrRRRRRR-----CRASH!**_

In an instant the creature had met its end. There wasn't even time for it to cry out before its life been exterminated.

Makoto and Ami couldn't believe it.

"H-Haruka!"

They almost didn't recognize the woman. The ruler of the wind was wearing a rather strange, revealing sailor suit instead of her usual suit of armor.

Minako was the only one of the three who noticed the other figure beside her. "Rei!" No sooner had the name left her mouth, was Rei by her side. "Who is she---"

"Don't celebrate just yet, there's a lot more of them coming!" The Martian Commander warned.

"What?"

"Ami, Makoto! Listen! You can only hurt them with spiritual attacks!"

"Yeah... we kinda figured that out," Makoto said grimly. She could sense their presences now. "Get ready. Here they come!"

Six shadow creatures had already spread themselves out along the perimeter of the chamber, and had escaped detection until now. Escaping was no longer an option; the moment the women had entered the room, they had fallen into an elaborate trap. There was no way out except to fight their way through the enemy.

"Whatever happens, don't let anything happen to Hotaru!" Haruka ordered.

"Papa!"

"Shhh..." Minako held the girl more tightly in case she tried to make a dash for the woman.

"That's why they're here. That's who they're really after!" Haruka boldly stepped forward until she was positioned firmly between the assassin and its target. It glared up at her in defiance with its crimson eyes. "But we can't let them have what they want!"

"I agree! But don't worry Haruka, there's no way they can beat all of us." Makoto found herself grinning. A green aura sparked in the air around her--her powers had recovered and she was ready for some payback. The tall woman had positioned herself by Ami's side and was now facing the enemy on the opposite side of the room to Haruka's. She had taken the backside.

Carefully noting where her two comrades stood, Rei stepped forward and occupied a position to Minako's right.

"Rei…?" Minako tilted her chin up to get a better look at the woman. She thought about standing up, but a firm hand on her shoulder silently told her to stay put.

_This time I will protect you. _

"Take care of Hotaru."

"But---"

"Fighting isn't always the best way to be 'useful'. Only fight if you have to." She advised.

"Ah." Behind her, Ami was struggling by Minako's side. The woman's breath was still coming out in short, pained pants, and her eyes were burning with tears. Her entire body was trembling. "Ow…I-I have to fight too…" Based on where everyone was standing, she saw a dangerous gap to Minako's immediate left.

"No! You can't even think about fighting! You're hurt!" Makoto tried to convince the woman.

"HERE THEY COME!" Haruka abruptly bellowed.

The enemy all launched at once, each headed attacking from different directions. It appeared that they possessed some intelligence after all; none of the Goddesses could attack all of them at once. Haruka and Makoto managed to confront a total of three assassins, while Rei countered the one that struck at her head on. The two remaining across the Martian's backside abused the remaining gap and barrelled directly at Minako.

"Rei!" Minako tried calling out to the woman, but she continued on fighting the creature. Wasn't anyone going to help her?

**Tup! Tup! Tup!**

**Tup! Tup! Tup!**

The two creatures leapt up, and Minako instinctively tightened her hold on Hotaru.

"Heh." Haruka smirked. _Gotcha!_

Not even a second after her reaction, someone else joined in the fray. An aquamarine aura thundered across the room and blasted the two assassins face-first into a cavern wall on the other side of the room.

**CRACKLE!**

**THUD! THUD!**

While the other three friends continued to engage with the enemy, a mysterious stranger emerged from the darkness and calmly walked into the last gap of the circle. Now there were no easy openings for the enemy to exploit.

Minako was still in a bit of shock, for more than one reason.

_She looks like that person we saw in the halls not too long ago! _The blonde noted the stranger's same aquamarine hair color, her intense aquamarine eyes and the flowing blue dress that she wore. As far as the Venusian could tell, the biggest difference between the two people was their hair length--this woman's wavy hair was shoulder length, and it was not tied back.

"That is enough." The stranger told their enemy. However, the two shadows that she had recently knocked down stubbornly staggered back up onto their feet. Obviously they didn't agree. In fact, they appeared more angry than afraid, a foolishness that was not about to be forgiven by the woman who dared to raise her hand against them.

_I see…_ Michiru silently concluded. She then raised a hand in the air and cried,

"Neptune Planet Power, Make-Up!"

**FWOOOOOOOOSH!**

An aquamarine light engulfed the woman and illuminated the rest of the chamber. All movement suddenly came to a halt in the wake of this power. Rei and Makoto, who were still struggling with the enemy, held their positions while Haruka just recently knocked her opponent down. Everyone else could only squint against the light until it faded away to reveal the stranger now dressed in a similar costume to that of Haruka's. She didn't waste any time making her move.

"Deep…" A sphere of blue energy rose up into her raised arms. "SUBMERGE!" With that, her power was unleashed unto the two unfortunate assassins.

_**WrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrRrRrRRRRR--- KABOOM!**_

Two down.

Meanwhile Rei and Makoto were rushing to try and eliminate the last two that remained. They had each taken down one apiece, but these last two were far stronger than the other four. It was really starting to push their patience.

"Hold still!" Rei swung her sword at her target, but it leapt back before quickly sending the woman on a series of evasions of her own.

"HA!" Jupiter unleashed another attack and forced Rei's opponent to back off. "These things are so stubborn!"

Across the room Michiru and Haruka's eyes met in understanding. Both raised their arms.

"World…"

"Deep…"

"SHAKING!"

"SUBMERGE!"

_**WRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR-KABLAM!**_

When Minako finally opened her closed eyes again, she found the room completely cleared of their pursuers. They had won.

"Oh wow…" She found herself seeing the strangers in a new light. "That was amazing!"

_What did they do exactly?_

Haruka walked up to the enthusiastic, child-ish woman and chuckled. "Of course. What else would you expect from someone like me?"

"Who are you?"

Michiru rolled her eyes behind her. "You're so full of it, Haruka."

"What she said." The sandy-blonde grinned.

Minako opened her mouth again, but was slightly startled when the woman with aquamarine hair bent down near her to examine Ami's arm.

"Ami dear, please let me see it." Michiru coaxed. The younger, blue-haired woman meekly nodded, still clearly in pain. Neptune quickly administered a portion of her aura onto the wound, coating it to stop the bleeding.

"Thank you Michiru." Ami thanked her gratefully.

"Michiru?" Minako squeaked. _Oh wow, she's so pretty!_ The older woman looked very different up close, even prettier than she had imagined. _But for some reason… I can't quite put my finger on it, but she 'feels' familiar. There's just that air about her, and I know I've heard that voice before!_

Michiru finally turned her attention to Minako and offered her a warm smile. "I'm sorry, please pardon my manners. I wasn't trying to ignore you... My name is Neptune Michiru. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

It suddenly clicked. _EHHHHHHHHHH?????_

"It was you! When I was stuck in floaty space, you were the one who showed me the way back! Oh! I'm so sorry for pointing, but, gosh... that was just… wow." Minako dropped her gaze, appearing thoroughly embarrassed. Her face couldn't have gone a darker scarlet.

The other woman giggled. "Yes, that would be me. I'm happy that you remembered. I must say though, you are even more energetic in person."

However the happy moment wasn't about to last for much longer. Rei had walked up with a very serious expression upon her face.

"Michiru." Rei stated the name more than anything. There was hardly any warmth in her voice.

"Rei." The other woman returned the gesture.

They both met each other's eyes with a great intensity, almost daring the other to mention something that rubbed them both the wrong way.

Sensing the tense atmosphere, Haruka was quick to say,

"C'mon, cut it out, the both of you! This is no time to argue. We should just be happy that we're finally all together."

"Like you're one to talk!" Rei was instantly all over Haruka. "You think you can just disappear without saying a word to anyone?! We were all worried about you! We even went through a civil war on YOUR planet looking for you!"

Haruka turned her head away. "My absence was necessary. There was something that I had to do."

"Like what?" Rei challenged.

"Like learning how to tap into Planet Power dammit!" She shot back. "Try looking at the bigger picture here! The strength we have now isn't good enough for what we're going up against! You saw what they were capable of! Against Apollo's henchmen only our spiritual attacks will work, so what do you think it'll take to take Him down? Unless we can tap into Planet Power, we won't stand a chance! As for Uranus, I know what's happened, and honestly, I think it's all turned out for the best. All of these useless, false alliances are finally being put to rest and we're finally forging one that _matters_. We all have to work together. Do you understand what I'm saying? This is no time to go blaming each other for something that none of us were at fault for. Now, if you were looking for an apology then I'M SORRY. Happy now...? We seriously have some bigger issues on our hands, more than you can ever imagine."

The Martian Commander was rendered speechless. Everyone was.

"…Fine." Rei reluctantly dropped the subject. "Then tell us what you know about Apollo and the key…"

**

* * *

**

**Next up in HFD, Ch. 14: Minako 1, Rei 1**

**Just when everyone is finally together and some secrets are brought into light, Minako receives a transmission from home. The Goddess Aphrodite wants Minako to return home! But how will Minako take the news? **

"_**This is all...your fault, you know?"**_

**Rei was taken aback.** _**"What? But that can't be-"**_

"_**Oh, but it is."**_ **She giggled.** _**"So, you're going to have to make it up to me. I've been thinking about this for awhile now, but... can I have it Rei?"**_


	14. Minako 1, Rei 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sailor Moon.

**A/N:** After this, I may not be able to update for a few weeks to come; midterms are coming up. Thanks for everyone's patience…

**

* * *

**

"…Fine. Then tell us what you know about Apollo and the key…"

Rei's request hung heavily in the air but when no one said anything, everything lapsed back into an uncomfortable silence. Haruka looked absolutely rigid; Hotaru, who had crawled out of Minako's lap and was now sitting idly by Michiru's foot, curiously stared up at the adults. Were Auntie Rei and Papa going to fight? She tilted her head quizzically at them. The atmosphere was so tense that no one noticed how the girl's dark eyes dimly glowed as the name of the Sun God was uttered.

"Well?"

Haruka glanced over at Michiru, and saw her partner nod back. She had to inwardly groan-- this was going to be embarrassing.

"Kay... I know this is going to sound really bad, but... seriously? Your guess is good as ours..."

Everyone aside from Michiru and Haruka nearly fell over.

"WHAT?!"

Rei's right eyebrow was twitching dangerously. "Grr…Haruka... if you're trying to make a joke out of this, it's not a very good one."

"I'm not joking."

"So then, let me get this straight. Basically, what's you're saying is... after all of this time, and a huge hassle later, you guys found _nothing?_ How in the name of Mars could you have found 'half' of the key if you don't know anything about it? I mean, if either of you didn't notice, Hotaru can walk! And that's another thing! Why are you two so sure that she's part of the key? She's human! We did a bio scan of her on Mercury and nothing came up."

The mention of a bio scan prompted a frown from Michiru. Haruka, on the other hand, feigned a thoughtful look. As tempted as she was, the wind ruler decided to be good and resisted teasing her friend.

"Hmm...Well, it's just like you said. It's kind of complicated. But...if you don't mind, can we talk about this later? I'd rather not talk about it in front of Hotaru." Everyone turned their gazes to the cheerful ball of sunshine on the floor-- right, they had almost forgotten about that. Haruka saw the Martian Commander scowl, but from the series of emotions that flitted across her face within those two seconds she knew the woman wouldn't press it. "Heh, don't worry! I'll be sure to tell you all about it later! Anyway, as for our research on Apollo... you see, we would have made huge progress by now if it weren't for a little problem."

"What kind of problem?" Rei arched an eyebrow sarcastically. She highly doubted it was 'little' given the woman's nature.

"Hmm...How to put it? Okay. First of all, you all know about the detection spell right? The one we learnt how to do when we were kids?"

"What about it?"

"...Well, what's so special about it?"

"..."

"It's the most basic skill we learned?" Makoto proposed.

"Yeah, there we go! You got it." Haruka nodded. "It's so basic that even little kids can learn how to do it. But that isn't the point. What I'm trying to get at, is... it's a very useful spell, but there are a bunch of limitations on it. First of all, it has this dinky little range," She emphasized by making a small 'air box' with her hand, "so you can't find the spiritual trails very easily after a certain point of time. But let's say you still want to but the trail is already gone. What do you do?"

Rei rolled her eyes. "Leave it and look for another way. It can't be done." Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a smile forming on Michiru's face.

"Well, not necessarily," Ami thought aloud. "Hypothetically, it may be possible if she managed to amplify the spell enough. But at that point, it would likely become an entirely new spell altogether."

"That's right." Michiru patted Hotaru on the head and then stepped forward. Her sharp eyes trained on the Martian. "Perhaps you've never heard of such a spell, but it does exist."

"Stop speaking in riddles. What are you getting at? As far as I'm concerned, none of you have answered my question yet."

"Yes, well, it seems that sometimes, things need to be spelled out a little slower for some." Rei twitched. "In any case, what Haruka neglected to mention is that we're not looking for human spiritual trails. For our purposes, we wish to navigate through time."

The comment had seemed to throw everyone for a loop.

"Through time...?" Ami's eyes couldn't have gotten any wider. "But if such a spell existed, then undoubtedly it would have been banned."

"It was." Michiru heard her friend gasp. "Any knowledge regarding it was hidden away from everyone except for a few individuals. My Mother was one of these people."

"The Goddess of Neptune..." Makoto whispered under her breath; it saddened the group to be reminded of the deceased woman.

"That is why I'm not surprised that none of you have heard of it. Even I wasn't aware of its existence until recently. But yes, for our purposes, we wish to look through time to gather information on the Sun King. Unfortunately, after a certain incident, this is the only alternative left available to us."

Ami shook her head. "Wait, no... Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We need to carefully consider the situation; this is a forbidden spell that we're talking about and a very dangerous one at that. It's dangerous as it is to separate your consciousness from your body, but sending it potentially centuries into the past on top of that?" Her voice trailed off.

"Ami...I can assure you that I'm more than capable of it."

"But that isn't the point. Are you absolutely sure that there isn't any other way of going about this? Perhaps there may not be enough information in Neptune's libraries, but there may be something in one of the other planetary libraries. I mean, I've already found a few articles; they're stored in my computer's database at the moment, oh, if my mini-computer weren't broken, but... if you would like to review them sometime, you're more than welcome to. Perhaps we can go to the other libraries and work together on this."

_Ami..._ Haruka watched the blue-haired woman from the side. _You've figured it out already, haven't you? Out of all of us, the only one capable of performing a spell at that magnitude is Michiru._

She recalled how she tried to stop the woman the first time she suggested the spell to her. It was a futile attempt, and soon the others would realize it as well.

Michiru shook her head. "Thank you, but I'm afraid that's not the kind of information that we need. In the past, instead of writing about the Sun King in our history, many of our predecessors chose to keep his memory alive as a children's myth. While there are some truths in these stories, many of the facts have become severely distorted over the years. Now that there are so many versions of the same tale, which version is truly the correct one? What I'm searching for is the truth."

"But, Michiru...!"

Rei frowned; she couldn't help but feel that there was something else to the woman's madness on the matter.

"Why are you being so stubborn about this? You just heard what she said! The spell is essentially a death trap. Are you really that keen on throwing your life away?"

Michiru's aquamarine eyes flashed. "For your information, I've already performed the spell several of times already. And as you can see, I am perfectly fine."

Rei opened her mouth, and then shut it. She wasn't going to waste her time arguing with her on this.

_Yeah, but how far have you actually gone into the past?_ She was tempted to say. Ami seemed to understand this minor detail as well because the young ruler had gone fairly rigid. Although she had stopped her crying habit a long time ago, there were always the little signs that told everyone when she was upset-- and there was no mistaking it, she was upset.

A little gentler, Michiru looked at her friend and said, "I'm sorry... I would have told you sooner, but before we knew what was happening, things had become very hectic for us."

"That's right." Haruka agreed, and turned to look at Rei. "Honestly, we didn't mean to keep things a secret from you. But as soon as we started looking for information on Apollo, we were attacked."

"You mean...?"

"Yeah...by those shadow things... Actually, to be more exact, Michiru was attacked first. That's why I came to Neptune in the first place."

"It's a bit complicated." Michiru tried to explain. "You see, it all started because of something I read in one of my Mother's journals. It appeared that, while other planetary rulers decided to forget about Apollo, she had written and stored away many of her own detailed accounts of the past within a secret archive in the palace. After reading a bit more, it piqued my curiosity enough to go and search for the place myself."

_Liar..._ Rei secretly thought to herself. _If you really had no interest in all of this, why would you still be reading through her journals after all of these years?_

"Oh... So, there really were historic documents?" Ami asked.

"Yes. But unfortunately, by the time I found the archives one of those creatures had already infiltrated into the place." There was anger bordering her tone now. "I eventually managed to drive it off, but by then it was already too late. It had destroyed virtually all of the records pertaining to the Sun God."

"I see. I'm sorry Michiru, I didn't know."

The Goddess's eyes softened. "Why are you apologizing? It wasn't your fault. These things sometimes happen, and we just have to accept them and move on. After the encounter though, it's just as Haruka said. I contacted her and notified her of what happened. After some discussion, that was when she decided to come to Neptune and help me while I conduct the spell. I understand that it poses a danger to my consciousness, but it would hardly matter if something were to happen to my body first. Since we were being attacked almost constantly by then, I needed someone to watch out for me while I concentrated."

"I see..." Rei said tensely.

"It was pretty exhausting." Haruka laughed. Her expression suddenly turned serious. "But... now that they know that we're all together, things will likely become tougher for us from now on. We're all going to have to stick together."

_...All of us?_ Minako found herself staring at her feet. She felt like she was being left out of the conversation as it was, but the comment really made her think. _While everyone was worrying and busy fighting, what was I doing? I only got involved in the first place because of the mission._

In comparison, she would hardly call her task worthy of the term 'mission'; it made her feel so shallow and ashamed. She was distracted when a prod into her side made her turn her head, and she found herself staring Rei in the face.

"Hey, didn't you just hear me? That includes you, too."

_**Lubb dubb.**_

"What?" She blinked.

"Yeah, it's just like she said. You're a part of the group too." Makoto beamed.

"But Venus is...I mean-- we're still a neutral planet. I-I don't know what my Mother would say about all of this..."

"I wouldn't worry about it. I highly doubt Lady Aphrodite will reject our proposal, but we will speak with her." Michiru assured her.

"Yeah! I mean, we've never met your mom before, but she must be a nice and enchantingly beautiful person if she's anything like you." Haruka joked. This earned her a hard elbow to the side from Rei. "Oof! What-did-you-do-that-for?!"

"Flirt." Michiru also gave her a quick jab from the other side.

"Ouch! HEY!"

This drew a laugh from everyone, and even Minako found herself laughing.

"Hahaha..." Makoto took a deep breath. "Okay guys, I don't mean to be a mood breaker, but Haruka... You still haven't told us about this little problem of yours yet."

"Huh?" She stared at the woman for a second before it clicked. "OH! Right! Yeah, yeah...well, you see, it's more of Michiru's problem than mine. I mean, all I do is fight the bad guys while she's concentrating."

She violently flinched when she thought Michiru was about to elbow her again.

"What Haruka meant to say... is that there is someone else who can apparently use the same technique."

"Who?" Minako blinked.

"The Witch!" Haruka blurted out.

There was a long pause.

_Haruka..._ Rei and Makoto both thought together, while everyone slowly backed away, _you do realize by calling the other person a witch, you just called Michiru--_

_**Bam!**_

"Ooooooouuuuchhh!!!"

"As I was saying…" Michiru continued. "...there is a cunning individual who is repeatedly getting in my way whenever I try to research the past. I can't say that we know who the identity of this person is, but she is being rather stubborn."

"Is it another God?" Ami proposed.

"Thought of that." Haruka wheezed from the floor.

"We thought about it, but aside from Lady Aphrodite, I don't know of any other Goddess who is not standing here with us."

"Hmm... that's true..."

"Then, what if it's a Goddess that we don't know of?" Rei suggested. This earned a frown from the other woman. She could see the reluctance there but it hadn't been entirely ruled out yet. "You said that there were a lot of things hidden from us in the past, right? Then what if there are individuals that survived from there, just like the previous Gods and Goddesses? Unless... you are suggesting that there is a human strong enough to beat you at your own spell?"

Everyone could almost hear the air crack at the remark. It was true-- as far as they were aware of, no one had ever came close to touching Michiru in a magic match. This mysterious stranger was a first, and undoubtedly a source of unspoken humiliation for the proud Goddess.

"I highly doubt that." Michiru remarked coolly. "But we should keep it in mind in any case. What we really should be concentrating on is the fact that we are making progress, even if it's small. While we haven't delved deep into the past concerning Apollo, we have discovered more about Planet Power. If you would all recall to our earlier battle today with the shadow creatures, both Haruka and I have used it."

"Yeah, I remember that! It was pretty impressive!" Makoto said. "How did you guys do that anyway?"

"We'll show you later," Haruka promised.

Makoto leaned in to whisper, "Umm...Is there any possible way to avoid the mini skirt?"

"...No promises."

Ami's face had turned a deep crimson and Michiru coughed. "It's not about how it looks that matters."

_Funny, I thought it looked fashionable. _Minako thought quietly to herself. Her eyes slowly drifted over to where Rei was, and, once she sensed the undeniable feel of a stare, she found the woman indignantly shooting daggers back.

_What do you want?_ Rei hissed back. But Minako merely smirked, turned away and giggled to herself. Now she couldn't get the image of a certain Martian prancing around in a mini-skirt out of her head. It was too cute; she would have to make a reminder to draw a sketch of it later.

_**Twitch.**_

_Would you cut that out?!_

"Unfortunately, we have also discovered a few other things." Michiru continued. "Some of which, are not quite as pleasant."

This sent a shiver running down the group's back. Haruka's eyes also darkened a shade at the mention of this.

"This may come as a shock to you guys... but we think our enemy isn't a normal God. He may actually be something more than that, maybe, a ghost even." She scanned everyone's faces and saw the flicker of fear in their eyes. Rei, especially, recalled the sight of the malevolent being behind her mentor before he vanished. "This was later confirmed by Michiru, but shortly before I left Uranus I met up with the former Uranus and he said something that was very interesting. He thought that Apollo was hunting down the bloodlines of those who betrayed him."

_Haruka..._

The mention of the deceased God made Rei, Ami and Makoto shoot uncomfortable glances to one another. Haruka didn't know about him yet. How were they ever going to break this to her?

"It makes sense, doesn't it? I mean, why Gods and Goddesses have been suddenly going missing? A lot of us have lost people precious to us because of him. But he might not stop there. Once he's done with our predecessors, he might even start to come after us." Haruka paused. "Well, actually... if Apollo is only going after bloodlines then I guess Rei and me would be safe 'cause we're not royal born. However, I doubt any of you would have much trouble either!" She stated with confidence.

_Gee, thanks Haruka…_ The majority simultaneous thought, especially after knowing how Makoto was almost killed on Jupiter.

"And why would you think we'd be safe?" Ami questioned, coughing softly.

"Hm? Oh, for two reasons actually. One, it's obvious that Apollo must still be building up his power. Those shadow assassins haven't been around for too long, so it must be taking him some time to summon them. And besides, if he was all powered up, why doesn't he just bust down here and kill us all himself?"

"Okay, I'd buy that," Makoto replied, having somewhat relaxed her composure. She did feel a little more secure now. "So then, what's the second reason?" She smiled despite herself.

"We don't have any siblings."

Minako felt her heart skip a beat.

Rei shook her head. "Really Haruka, what kind of reason is that?" The woman crossed her arms over her chest, looking rather unconvinced. "How can having any siblings have anything to do with this? I mean, if any of us did, it just means he'd have to kill more people to get his revenge."

"Wooooow, you're really an optimist, aint'cha Rei?"

"I try." Rei smiled back. She heard a few snorts in the background, but said nothing of it.

"Heh, okay, lemme ask you this then. If what you say is true, and it really doesn't matter how many children a God can have... then why do Gods and Goddesses only have one child, despite the fact that having more children would increase the chance of passing on their bloodline?"

"You mean there was a reason?" Makoto blinked back. She peered down at Ami, hoping her friend would know the answer. Unfortunately, she didn't either and only offered a shrug. Did Rei know?

"Why would I know?!" Rei exclaimed when she spotted her two friends obviously staring in her direction.

"Okay, then I'll tell you why," Haruka smirked. She was rather proud that she knew something the rest of her friends didn't. "The power that a God or Goddess can pass onto the next generation decreases as they have more children...! Meaning, the oldest would receive the maximum potential for power growth, while the second would receive a range slightly smaller, and etc… Do you get it now? Because none of us have siblings, we don't have to worry about all that! Makoto, Ami, Minako and Michiru, all of you inherited the ability to hit max potential. While myself… well, since I wasn't a royal to begin with, when I inherited the throne I automatically gained it all. It would be the same for Rei when she does it too. Soooo... all we have to do now is train up! Problem solved!"

Minako was getting a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Suddenly, she didn't feel very good.

"Minako? Is everything all right?" Rei whispered.

"I, uhh... Ummmm..." She was really beginning to panic for an excuse when a loud beeping attracted everyone's attention.

**Bleep… Bleep…Bleep!**

As everyone moved to check their communicators for incoming transmissions, Minako remained frozen in place. There was something bleeping in her pant pocket but she felt like she couldn't move-- deep inside, she just wished for the noise to go away. But it wasn't about to. After everyone shook their heads at one another they looked in her direction; the blonde Venusian was finally forced to lower her eyes to the insistent communicator. Reluctantly, she pulled it out and saw the orange screen blinking urgently.

_It's a transmission for me? _Minako's face went pale when she recognized that the sender code was from Venus. Calmly, Minako said, "I guess it's for me… Sorry about this, but can I slip out for a moment to take it? If you don't mind, that is."

"Ah. No, not at all." Haruka briefly glanced over at Michiru. "Actually, it might be better if we all took a break. It's been a pretty long day after all."

"Yes, and we still need to raise the planet shield," Michiru pointed out.

"I can help you with that." Ami offered.

"Thank you, dear."

"So, just to get this straight... you guys lowered the shield for us, right?" Makoto double checked.

"Yes."

"Oh, okay... Well! If you think you could use an extra hand, I help too."

Haruka laughed. "Hah, that's great! Now that you've got three people, I don't have to do it."

"Haruka..."

The tall woman look mortified when she thought she might get a beating from all three of them, but she slumped in relief when they all just walked away.

"Hey, I was fighting all day!" Haruka yelled to them, and waved. As soon as they disappeared from sight, her arms dropped to her sides and her smile faded somewhat. The fatigue brick fell from the sky and nearly smashed her head in.

_Ugh, damn, I'm tired...!_ She felt like she could drop to the floor and sleep right there, but there were still a few things that she needed to take care of. And Michiru had seemed to understand this as well.

_Oh well, first things first!_

Without looking, she threw her arm back and grabbed hold of someone's arm HARD.

"OUCH!-What the--what do you think you're doing?! Let go!" Rei yelped in surprise. Haruka's nails were digging into her arm awfully hard.

"What were you trying to pull back there, Rei?" She asked quietly.

Rei turned her head away. "What are you talking about? You better let go of me before I break that arm of yours!"

Haruka reluctantly released the woman's arm, but she wasn't so willing to let the subject drop.

"That's so not funny, I almost forgot to laugh. C'mon! You know what I'm talking about. That human remark wasn't very funny..."

Rei balked for a second. "Look, all I did was point out the alternative to her reasoning! If there was something that powerful that could interfere with her powers, and it wasn't a God, then what else could it be?!" She hesitated to say more when she saw the disappointment playing in her friend's green eyes. Rei glanced around for a moment, making sure that Minako had left with the others. When it seemed to be clear, she sighed. "Look, Haruka, I didn't mean it like that. I'm just... a little frustrated, that's all."

Haruka's ears perked up at the rare confession. She almost had to laugh. "You're frustrated? About what...?" She tilted her head. "Waaait a minute... I know what this is about. You've finally hit puberty and developed hormones like the rest of us!"

"NO!" Rei couldn't have possibly turned redder.

"Hah. You're so red, it's true! Does it have anything to do with, oh, I don't know... a blonde? What was her name aga-"

"Haruka! I'm trying to be serious! There's something important that I need to tell you, and I can't tell you what it is unless you shut up and listen to me!"

"Umm...okay? Okay. I'm sorry. You've got my attention. Go ahead, shoot. What is it?"

Rei looked very uncomfortable, but she steeled herself and pressed on.

"Like... I'm not even sure how to tell you this. Do you remember when you were talking about leaving Uranus? And that you saw him just before you left?"

"Yeah...? What about it?"

"Well... I hate to tell you this Haruka, but he's... during the civil war on Uranus, he passed away."

"Oh." Haruka fell silent, and her gaze fell to the floor. As the silence droned on, Rei was really beginning to get nervous; she wouldn't know what to do if the other woman started crying or did something else crazy like that. "Yeah, actually...I kinda already knew about that. But thanks for telling me anyway. I really appreciate it."

Rei did a double take. "You already knew? But how? You were on Neptune the entire time, weren't you?"

"Well, let's just say that when you become the wind, you have so much more freedom."

Rei pondered her words for a moment, when she suddenly remembered something. "Wait a second! In the prison cell! That was you, wasn't it?!"

_On Uranus, I thought the wind was acting strangely. It was also the wind that killed the shadow assassin in the prison cell!_ _I remember thinking, just before I was rescued, that I thought that I sensed..._

"You were sneaking around and spying on us the entire time, weren't you?!"

Haruka chuckled. "What can I say? It's my planet. Besides, someone's gotta look after you guys. Do you even realize what a handful you all can be even when you're a planet away?" She cracked a grin.

"I could've handled it myself." Rei huffed.

"Maybe..."

Rei shifted on the spot and they averted each other's gazes. The Martian Commander didn't like the way her childhood friend was acting--she was clearly skipping around something. If the Goddess had been spying on them during the civil war, then was it possible that she caught a glimpse of _that _as well?

Rei thought back to her brutal fighting ways when the bloodlust took over. When she thought about it, whether her friend knew about it or not she still felt somewhat indignant that she had been spied on.

"A-Anyway...If that's all you wanted to talk about, then I'll let you get some rest." Rei said as she began to head towards the chamber exit.

"Wait, umm... Rei?"

"What is it?"

Haruka seemed to ponder hard on her words, but it seemed that she decided to change the topic at the last second.

"Thanks for not getting into a fight with Michiru today. I know the both don't get along, and I know that things can't change over night... but really, I hope the two of you will be able to get along someday. It's kinda hard sometimes to see friends fight. What happened that day, all of those years ago... it wasn't our fault."

"Of course it wasn't. It's was Ares and Apollo's doing."

Before Haruka could stop her again, Rei without out of the room without as much as a backwards glance. She knew what Haruka would have said- 'it's not Ares fault either', that she wasn't truly guilty by association. But deep inside, she still felt a thorn prick at her heart.

(Minako, Outer Corridor)

Minako quickly glanced down both sides of the corridor. It was empty, good. Carefully, she lifted the communicator to her line of vision and re-read the screen.

_It really is a call from home... _The words were finally beginning to sink in. Minako sighed; there were so many possibilities, and many of them were not pretty. _What if it's from Mother? What if she wants to ask why I haven't completed the mission yet? Or, what if she heard about what happened on Uranus? Is it even possible that she knows? _Minako recalled her Mother's viewing orb, how she could see the War God, Ares from a distance away. It was giving her stomach butterflies.

The communicator kept ringing insistently in her hands. Minako flipped the screen up, and felt her blood run cold. She could almost laugh, but she was too scared to.

_What will she see when she lays her eyes on me? Goddess, please give me strength._

With shaky hands, Minako gathered her courage and completed the connection.

**…****Channel secured… opening transmission…**

**Bleep!**

Instantly, the projection of Aphrodite burst forth into the space in front of the young woman. Minako was so startled that she nearly dropped the machine.

"M-Mother," She stuttered out. Minako felt her heart racing in her chest as her mother's gaze settled upon her. The Goddess Aphrodite, even at such a great distance away her presence still imposed an enormous influence. It made the young woman feel so self-conscious, and insignificant in that moment.

"Minako." Aphrodite answered the weak greeting with a strong voice. "What is taking you so long? I had expected the mission accomplished and you back at home by now."

_W-What should I say? Her eyes… it feels like she's seeing right into my soul! _She gulped. _No! C'mon, Minako, snap out of it! You're...you're..._

"Is there something wrong?"

Minako opened her mouth, and then shook her head. "No. Everything is all right. Umm...As for the mission, I apologize for my tardiness. Regrettably, there have been... a few, foreseen difficulties."

"Difficulties?"

Minako resisted the urge to shiver. "Y-Yes! But it's nothing that I can't handle. It's just-- I need a bit more time."

The Goddess frowned. "I am afraid that I cannot grant that request. Minako, you are to return home immediately. We will speak of this later."

"What? B-But Mother! I know I can do this! Please, just give me another chance!"

"Did you not hear me? I said, come home immediately! I will deal with you then!"

"WAIT!!"

Aphrodite abruptly cut the connection at the start of her daughter's screech, clearly not interested in debating the topic any longer. It took an even shorter amount of time for that feeling of dread to sink in.

Minako stumbled back against the wall in shock.

"Goddess...what should I do? I have to go back home? Now...?"She leaned her back against the wall and sunk to the floor, allowing her knees to rise up to her chest. The communicator lay limply in her hand.

_Mother said that she would 'deal' with me. So, she means to punish me. Why am I even surprised? I blew it. I failed at my first and ONLY mission, and now she's mad at me._ It was enough to bring her close to tears. _I just-- I just wanted her to be proud of me. And now look what happened! _Minako thought about the moments before the call. Everyone was smiling at her and telling her that she belonged with them, and, for an instant, she had almost deluded herself into believing it. That was, until a stupid phone call ruined it all. A crack rang in the air when the communicator bounced off of the wall opposite of her.

"This is just so stupid!" The Venusian growled. "It wasn't supposed to turn out like this!"

She felt like she was becoming hysterical as her mother's last command still boomed loudly in her mind. It felt like she was being torn apart inside.

_If I go home, I'll be punished. But if I go through with the mission, I might be forgiven, but then Rei would hate me forever! Can't I... just forget about everything and stay here?_

The rebellious thought even surprised herself: To disobey her mother, the Goddess of Venus? Frustratingly enough, the only thing stopping her from analyzing this approach further was the very thing that pushed her into this position in the first place. Minako suddenly leapt to her feet and angrily swiped up the infuriating piece of machinery.

_I've got to see Rei! Now! _She decided. Unconsciously, she threw out some threads of her power and began to search for the woman. _If it's the last thing I do..._

**Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!**

(Rei, Guest quarters)

Since Rei had left the accursed cavern, she had been in a terrible mood. The moment she had stormed into the guest chamber she began to rid herself of her armor. The pieces were tossed in every which direction, but even without the extra baggage she still felt burdened. Rei knew it was a spiritual thing, but those types of wounds were pests as far as she was concerned.

"Tch, I don't get this at all!" She paced hurriedly around the bed, occasionally lashing out at an invisible opponent with a snarl. She was feeling anxious and irrational; what was this affliction--a bad joke? The Martian Commander was supposed to be an unfeeling, unemotional being. But at this very moment, she was Rei Hino. She was human.

Rei finally stopped at the foot of the bed and sat down with a tired groan.

"Argh, this is ridiculous!" At this point, she didn't even care about Michiru or the past. And with Haruka's earlier teasing, it didn't help in the least.

"_Are you just angry because I'm finally trying to stand up for myself? Have you ever thought, even once, that maybe, just maybe...I don't want to always be protected?__" _

_If she doesn't want to be protected, then what am I supposed to do?! _Rei thought, growing increasingly frustrated. How else could she possibly interact with Minako otherwise? She was used to shouting out orders, and having people listening on her every word. But she couldn't deploy this tactic with the energetic Venusian. Minako never listened to her and to an extent, she, often, blatantly defied her. Even now, when she thought back to the first time they met the woman was full of surprises. Rei wasn't aware of it, but her cheeks were becoming somewhat flushed.

_She's changing. I should be happy, relieved even, that she doesn't want to be protected anymore... but, if she doesn't need to be protected then, does that mean that she doesn't need me anymore?_

For some reason, the thought really stung. Rei leaned back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling.

_Does that mean she'll be going home soon? _She could see herself standing beside Minako's bed when she was injured, and hearing Makoto asking when Minako would be returning to Venus. At that time, she didn't know. And, truthfully, she still didn't. She almost laughed at the next thought that crossed her mind.

_Heh. Well, it would be better than being dead. Exactly what she'll end up to be if she stays near me..._ The woman's amethyst eyes stared at her sheathed sword by the room, the one she had swapped with her officer a long while back. It seemed like such a long time ago, but she never did get an answer to that question:

_Why did she come to Mars anyway?_

As the woman continued to ravage war against her emotions versus her actions, she failed to notice the rapidly approaching spiritual presence.

_**Blam!**_

The room door was flung open.

"?!" Rei instinctively jumped off the bed, but she relaxed when she recognized the familiar blonde figure gasping for breath at the doorway. "Oh, Minako... it's just you." She was about to laugh and hide her nervousness until she took a closer look at the woman.

"Huff…huff…"

"Minako? What's wrong?" All of the sudden, her previous worries were thrown out the window. _Is she crying? _Automatically Rei started to move towards her. "Why were you running so hard? Is everything okay? What happened...? We aren't being attacked again, are we?"

Minako shook her head, further confusing the Martian. Rei hesitantly placed her hands on the woman's shoulders, and was greeted by an unexpected, tight embrace. The next thing she knew, she had been knocked right off of her feet and was on the floor. Awkwardly, she lay there frozen as she was slowly coming to the startling realization that Minako was pressed up right against her; a head was lying on her chest, and a mess of blonde hair had practically obscured her vision. A handful of her shirt was tightly gripped in one of the blonde's fists. It was for an instant, but Rei nearly placed a hand on her head but thought against it at the last second. The reaction came out of nowhere, it was unnatural, and as far as she could tell Minako had already started to calm down anyway.

Instead, Rei sighed. "So...We aren't under attack. Are you going to tell me what's wrong now?"

Minako had stopped crying, but the Venusian found herself caught in a bitter storm of emotion. On the way here, she blasted through the corridors as if she was on a war path. But as soon as she threw open the door and caught sight of Rei, the tears started pouring out from nowhere. Instead of saying what she meant to say, of doing what she meant to do, she blindly abandoned everything just to feel the other woman. Sure, Rei lay there like a dead fish but still she hadn't thrown her off. Minako knew that she had a good heart, and it was reassuring to hear it beating beneath her.

_It's a bit fast... _She felt Rei squirm slightly when she nuzzled her. _But that's because, I startled her._

It stung to think Rei's heart was beating fast because she was simply surprised. It had been like this when they met on Mars, wasn't it?

_Am I the only one who changed...?_

"Umm, Minako...?"

She found herself sighing.

_**Lubb Dubb.**_

_What is there to say?_

_I was sent to Mars by my mother to seduce Ares... but instead, I ended up finding you .So technically, I was supposed to have seduced you and then go home._

_**Lubb Dubb. Lubb Dubb.**_

_But...somewhere along the way, something went terribly wrong. But you'd get angry if I told you that, wouldn't you?_

Rei's heart-rate skyrocketed when Minako lifted her head and looked her straight in the eye. Why was she looking at her like that? Awkwardly, Rei began to shift her weight and Minako, reluctantly, allowed her to sit up. However, she did not allow her out pull out of her reach--a minor detail that didn't go unnoticed by the Martian Commander.

"C'mon Minako... seriously, what's wrong?" _You're kinda freaking me out here..._ "If you don't tell me what's wrong, I can't help you."

Minako bit her bottom lip. "It's... kind of complicated." She finally said.

Rei felt a little relieved to hear her speak. "Yeah, I kinda figured. It's not every day that you run into my room and beg me for a hug."

"Heh, I didn't beg for it. You did." She reached forward and tapped her nose.

Rei smacked her hand away. "Excuse me, but if I recall right, you barged into _my _room and tackled _me_ to the floor."

"So? You know you liked it." She saw Rei blush, and giggled. "See, that's exactly what I'm talking about. That kind of face is just begging for a hug and a-"

"A what...?" Rei suspiciously eyed her. She didn't like the thoughtful expression playing on Minako's face. Where was she looking? "Look, you aren't getting out of this that easily. What are you trying to hide from me? Obviously something bad happened and it was bad enough to make you cry. It doesn't have anything to do with that phone call, does it?"

Minako smiled softly to herself.

"Actually, it doesn't." Rei arched an eyebrow. "You don't believe me? Well, believe it or not, it really doesn't. This is all...your fault, you know?"

Rei was taken aback. "What? But that can't be-"

"Oh, but it is." She giggled. "So, you're going to have to make it up to me. I've been thinking about this for awhile now, but... can I have it Rei?"

As Minako crawled forward, Rei quickly found herself making a hasty retreat.

"H-Have what? What are you talking about?"

"If you don't remember, then that's your fault for falling asleep."

"W-What? Falling asleep? Okay, this isn't funny, Minako. Cut it out alread-" She heard a thud, and quickly realized she hit the foot of the bed. She whipped her head around only to gape at the other woman as she began to stroke her cheek-- which was now rapidly turning a deep crimson.

_After speaking with Mother, I was so angry because everything seemed so complicated. But... after coming here, and seeing you again, I can see that it isn't the case after all. It's amazingly simple..._

If Rei thought she was nervous before, she had been sadly mistaken. The entire time Minako had been stroking her cheek, she had been slowly leaning in. Her face was so close now-- Rei could feel her shallow breaths on her face. There was a slight pause and their eyes met once again. Unconsciously Rei felt her arm twitch and came into contact with another arm. In her moment of distraction, she failed to notice that Minako had effectively barred her movement with one of her own hands placed purposely by her waist. She had also, as infuriating as it was, slipped between her legs and made it impossible for her to stand up. Rei genuinely looked scared now. As her amethyst eyes bore into Minako's blue, she was shocked to see a strange haze in her eyes.

Their lips were mere centimetres apart now.

_The truth is... I'm just a failure._

When Rei didn't move, Minako wordlessly closed her eyes and closed the final distance between them.

Time stopped.

The softness that pressed against her lips, Rei couldn't quite describe it. She couldn't think; she could only hear her heart pounding faster and faster in her chest. She couldn't move; when those lips began to move against her unmoving ones, she could only close her eyes and let herself be swept away by the strange sensations. As it continued on, she wasn't sure if it was from the lack of oxygen but she was beginning to feel light-headed. Her knees were quickly becoming weak. Minako pressed her lips more insistently against hers, urging her to kiss back but instead, to her horror, something of a muffled whimper sounded in the back of her throat.

When Rei felt something wet press up against her lower lip, she gasped and her eyes snapped open in shock. Everything came whirling back into sharp focus.

_**Slap!**_

"Wha- What do you think you're doing?!" She demanded.

Minako fell back with the blow and landed on the floor in front of her with a thud.

Both of them stared at each other, red faced and breathing heavily. Rei had brought up one of her hands over her mouth, where her lips still tingled from her first kiss. There was surprise, confusion and frustration carved into her wide eyes. Minako on the other hand, remained on the floor, gazing up at the woman with her unfocused blue ones. The blonde's lips were slightly parted and swollen from her actions.

When Rei dared to meet Minako's eyes, she shivered; she couldn't quite identify the feeling that inhabited them now. Wonder? Longing? She couldn't place a word to it, and had no desire to even try. She had been badly startled. She was so confused.

Minako was the first one to move. She turned her head away and stood up so that her back faced the other woman. She didn't dare to speak.

_I should have expected that…_ Although she wouldn't let Rei see her cry again, she still wanted to hold her head high. _It wasn't fair to her and, I know that she'll probably hate me forever now... but I, for some reason, I don't regret it at all. The only regret I'll have now... is... _

"You're right, that was inappropriate." Minako spoke once she had found her voice again. Using every ounce of willpower that she had, she resisted the urge to turn around and give the Martian another tackle as she crossed the room to the door.

"Minako…?" Rei didn't know what to say.

However, when the blonde reached the door, she suddenly whirled around and flashed a great big smile.

"I stole Rei's first kiss!" She laughed and made a 'V' for victory pose. "Definitely one of a kind! So until next time, I'll see you around!"

Rei couldn't stop her as she ran out the door.

_Do you remember what I told you back then? If I'm going to be punished for what I did, then I'll accept it when the time comes..._

_So, I'll go home, and accept my punishment. If I never see you again, then, I'm sorry..._

_...and..._

"..."

_...Good-bye._

**

* * *

**

**Next up on HFD, Ch. 15: Venus: Home**

**For Rei, it's been one thing after another. First, Minako leaves without a word. If that wasn't bad enough, everyone has been getting on her case about it—even the dead! But what is it that is holding the Martian Commander back? Is she just being stubborn, or is there actually a good reason for her actions?**

**Meanwhile, Minako has finally arrived home. What awaits the young woman there? **


	15. Venus: Home

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sailor Moon.

**A/N:** Most of my midterms are over (one left), but I wanted to get a chapter up… so, here it is!

**

* * *

**

…

Rei didn't know how long she had been staring at that empty doorway. Minako's footsteps had stopped echoing long ago, but it was only beginning to sink in that she had left. Her gaze lowered to the floor.

_What in the name of Mars, just happened?_ Unconsciously, she raised her hand up to her lips.

At first, she was angry with the Venusian; how could this be all her fault? Minako was the one who barged into her room, into her private space, and then had the nerve to suddenly do _that _out of the blue. She was lucky that she hadn't been closer to the bed when she was tackled-- otherwise, she could be been lying on the floor with a concussion at this very instant. And on top of all that, Minako bolted out of the room without even giving her a chance to speak.

Rei glanced around the room, finally taking notice at how cluttered it was, when she caught her reflection staring back at her from one of the armor pieces. Out of morbid curiosity, she found herself picking up the shoulder plate for a closer look. What she saw brought a frown to her delicate face. Her cheeks were still burning red, and her long hair was an absolute mess. And her lips—she didn't even want to get started on that. Her heart skipped a beat as she remembered how it felt when Minako's lips first touched hers, their softness and warmth. A loud crash resounded throughout the room when the shoulder plate destroyed a nearby lamp, and rolled to a stop somewhere out of sight.

"She keeps saying that it was my fault, but that can't be true! She was the one who did THAT to me! She was the one who is always touchy-touchy. And I certainly wasn't begging for it!"

"_Look, you aren't getting out of this that easily. What are you trying to hide from me? Obviously something bad happened and it was bad enough to make you cry. It doesn't have anything to do with that phone call, does it?" _

"_Actually, it doesn't. You don't believe me? Well, believe it or not, it really doesn't. This is all...your fault, you know?"_

Rei felt like she was on the verge of screaming and pulling her hair out. _What on Mars did I do?! _ _Sure, she came in crying, but then she was joking around like everything was fine!_ _So was she really fine or was she pretending to be upset, or...?_

"Arrgh!!"

Regardless of what the answer was, it didn't change the fact of what she did.

'_**Slap!'**_

She drove her away; she hit her across the cheek, and it hadn't been a light slap either. The memory made the proud woman cringe. Rei remembered the way her hand felt after she had slapped her. She had done it once before, back on Mars shortly before their confrontation with Uranus's army, but it had felt different from back then. Now it was all sinking in. She came to grip that what she feeling was guilt. The shocked expression on _her_ face--it still burnt vividly within her mind. Minako had looked genuinely hurt after she had pushed her away. Rei almost couldn't understand it: How could a single action have so much impact on a person?

Rei wrinkled her nose at her hand as if it was dirty. "I made her cry...again." She bit her bottom lip and squeezed her hand shut. "But _why_ did she do that? Like, I know she's an unusually affectionate person, but that, that was..." Was it some sort of bizarre Venusian custom? She recalled how Minako had been crying moments before that; her shirt was free from the tears that had been shed onto it, but it was still wrinkled in places where the woman had gripped it tightly.

"The last time we fought, I admit that I really never gave her a chance to speak what was on her mind, but she can be just as stubborn. Is that why she was upset?"Rei picked herself up and began to pace on the spot for a moment. No matter how she approached it, she wasn't going to get an answer unless she directly asked Minako herself.

"Women are so bothersome..." She muttered under her breath. She then shook her head, "No, just the ones from Venus and Neptune. Heh, anyway, I guess I should go and see her. Better now than later..."

_I don't need Haruka or any of the others finding out about this. _She was already starting to feel a little better. _It has to be some sort of misunderstanding. I'll just talk to Minako, and things will just go back to normal._

_And maybe, she'll laugh at me and tell me how good she got me with that joke._

**Tup…tup…tup…**

(Palace Corridors)

_**Creeeeak**_**.**

"Minako…?" Rei found herself staring into another dark room, but it also appeared to be empty. It didn't look like she was here either. With a resigned sigh, she closed the door and stepped back out into the cool hallway where she was embraced by darkness once again. She had already searched half of the guest's quarters but there was still no sign of the bouncy diplomat.

_Where on Mars could she have gotten to?_

"Minako?" She called again for good measure and cringed when her voice echoed louder than she had anticipated it to.

_Okay, no more of that. The others must have re-activated the planet shield by now. Who knows where they're wandering about?_ _I mean, if Zen was here then he would have blow-_

"Oh for!" Rei smacked her forehead. "What am I doing?!" She hissed at herself. In her urgency to find Minako, she had forgotten that she didn't have to use the traditional 'human' methods.

Still grumbling "what's wrong with me," and mentally kicking herself, she began to release strands of her powers into the corridor. She was only a few seconds into the spell when she sensed something unusual.

_That's strange. Where is all of this spiritual energy coming from? _As her powers continued to prod through the walls, she discovered broken clusters of aquamarine aura still floating about. They flickered like small orbs of light. Rei gasped. _That's-! No, that can't be. But she's been gone for years! _She thought back to their encounter with the spectre earlier during their investigation. Her brow furrowed deep in thought. _A ghost can't possibly use their powers after they've passed away, could they? So then, could this be the remains of her spiritual trail? For people, the trail disappears fairly quickly, but perhaps it takes longer for a God's to disappear?_

In the background, Rei could hear the trickling of running water. One of her strands had penetrated into the gravesite; it appeared that the guest chambers weren't far from the underground cavern as she thought they were.

_We're still deep underground. Since it was a huge fight, I suppose it's not impossible that some of their aura was left behind. _Still, the discovery had given her quite the scare. The young Martian Commander largely underestimated the task of staying calm in such a nightmare-ish place. Rei, by no means, was afraid of the dark-- it was just this one location that made her flesh crawl.

**Tup…tup…tup…**

It did raise an interesting question however. Why was Neptune's ghost still haunting the palace?

_Why is she still here? _Rei continued her search, watching for any sudden leaps in energy. _She passed away a long time ago. She should have moved on! What could be holding her back? Is she angry for what happened? Does Michiru know that she's still here...?_

She couldn't imagine how the proud Goddess would react if she knew that her dead mother's spirit was wandering the halls at night with the same, vacant expression that she wore as she walked to her death.

**Tup…tup…tup…**

Rei shrugged off the cold atmosphere, and instead decided to divert all of her concentration to her efforts. What she needed to do was find Minako. With the planet shield up, their shadow enemies should be unable to enter Neptune. However, in the Martian's past experiences, nothing was ever guaranteed in life.

_Where is that damn woman?! _Rei was beginning to feel frustrated._ How far could she have possibly gone?_

**…****ping…**

_Hm? _She felt her heart skip a beat at the sound. There was a large spiritual presence nearby. "Minak-" Rei was about to call out, but she suddenly bit her tongue. Wait a minute, that wasn't Minako's aura. She tried to hone in on it, but, to her surprise, the source suddenly flickered and fizzled out. It was on the move. Rei halted her area-wide search and threw her energies after the elusive signature. Was it the enemy?

_What's going on? Is it getting closer?! _Dark amethyst eyes narrowed in frustration. As she tracked the one strand, she found other faint trails of a similar type converging into view. In her bewilderment she failed to detect the presence lurking in the shadows behind her. _W-Where is it coming from?! _She whipped her spiritual vision about the retreating strands. _I don't hear any footsteps, so it can't possibly be a shadow assassin. No efficient killer is that clumsy. Then, could it be one of the others? Did one of them come back to check up on me? But... if that was the case, then why play this game of hide-and-go-seek?! It's almost something Haruka wou-_

She half-expected Haruka to come up from behind her and say 'gotcha'.

_Behind_, the realization came too late when she took a wild guess at who it was.

_Michiru?!_

**…****ping… Shrooooooooooom**

**Tup…tup…tup…**

Rei went absolutely rigid and felt the blood drain from her face. Her earlier ponderings of why the ghost still lurked in the palace flew back into her face when the spectre emerged from the shadows behind her. She swallowed hard. Slowly, Rei craned her neck and confirmed her worst fears. No, it wasn't Michiru.

A long, aquamarine braid swishing side to side, and a blue dress…

**Lubb dubb!**

_It's her!_

"W-What do you want?"Rei whispered and slowly backed away towards the nearby wall as if it were her lifeline. She hugged it tight, hoping she could be lucky twice in one visit.

_Please, please, please go away…_ Rei silently chanted in her head. It occurred to her to run, but she wasn't sure if she could possibly outrun someone who was already dead.

_I-I wasn't looking for you! So why are you here? Please don't look this way, please don't see me. I'm not here, I'm-_

**Tup…tup…tup.**

The elder Neptune stepped forward but suddenly stopped in front of her, leaving only a short distance between her and the heir of Mars.

Rei sucked in breath and squirmed back against the wall in a futile attempt to create more distance. She could feel her heart pounding 100mph in her chest as the tall spectre slowly turned its head in her direction. Instantly, there was a cold, prodding pressure against her skin that made her blood run cold. It started from the boots on her feet and swept up to the hairs on her head, before trailing slowly back down. Rei couldn't clearly make out her eyes through the darkness, but she knew the former Goddess was looking ather.

In the background, the Martian could make out the strands of energy fusing back with the spectre. As they returned to their master, the darkness around the spectre began to diminish. She was almost glowing now-- the remnants of her life energy surrounding her with a thin veil of aquamarine light.

It terrified Rei.

"Wha…what do you want from me?" Rei demanded once she had found her voice again. It sounded hoarse to her ears. Out of everyone that resided in the palace, why had the deceased ruler appeared before her?

"_So she died trying to protect you?" _

"_I didn't ask for it…"_

"_Rei! What would she say if she heard you say that?" _

To the Martian's horror, Neptune took a step towards her.

**Tup---**

"No! Stay back!"

**Crackle!**

**CRACKLE!**

Rei's jaw dropped when her red aura was easily deflected by Neptune's and was sent hurtling into a back wall behind the Goddess.

_I-Impossible! How was she able to deflect my attack?! Her aura is so faint! _She gasped. _Or, could it be...?_

She stumbled backwards, feeling suddenly lightheaded. The attack had done more than damaged her pride--it forced her back into a corner, into the past, where she found herself face to face with a painful reality. In the past, on Mars, no matter how hard she trained or pushed herself to grow up faster she couldn't match up with the God of War. And now, when she thought she had made significant progress, had become strong enough to lead a planet and worthy enough to fight alongside her friends, she found herself facing surrender against a _dead _Goddess.

_Is the reason that I can't defeat her, is because she's a Goddess? _She almost wanted to laugh. _Even a dead one, with such a weak aura... Is this the difference between us? _

_Am I that weak?_

"What do you want?" Rei asked almost sulkily. She never knew how much she resembled her child-self at that minute. Still the ghost said nothing.

She felt shivers run down her back when the spectre began to reach out a hand towards her. What did she want from her? Rei's pupil's contracted as the glowing, transparent hand was inches from her face now.

"Neptune."

**Ping!**

The name echoed throughout the corridor for a few seconds. It had started sounding so faint and weak at first, like a whisper in the wind. But as soon as the word left Rei's lips, the name gained the strength of the individual it had represented. It gained power. By the time it reached the palace walls the name sounded very loud, commanding, and bore a royal tone to it. Even Rei was astonished; she never expected such a phenomenon to happen. The walls themselves appeared to acknowledge the name as well. Beginning like a ripple in a pond, one side of wall began to emit an aquamarine glow before spreading along the rest of the passage like a river.

_W-What's happening?_ Mars's heir continued to gape in awe. Her breath had been taken away.

The young woman received her answer when the apparition stopped in its tracks. Neptune retracted her hand and began to step away. For some reason, Rei suddenly felt her heart ache. What was this emotion that filled the air now?

_Sadness...? _The word manifested in her mind. _What? _"H-Hey!"_ What the—her aura is getting stronger!_

Rei braced herself into a defensive stance when she saw Neptune raise a pale hand from her side.

"AHH!"

_**Swish—**_**FOOM!**

A bright aquamarine light erupted in the area, covering the floor, the walls and the ceiling. What previous light there was beforehand was intensified so greatly that Rei could not see Neptune past the veil covering. Again a wave of uncertainty hit the young woman. Was the former ruler going to finish her off while she was blinded?

**FOOooommm…**  
**  
**When the light finally died down, Rei blinked back in wonder and surprise. She wasn't dead. There was no blood, searing pain, or the sight of her dead, lifeless body lying in the corridor. She hadn't been the one who changed. Instead, she was greeted by the sight of the once dark corridor filled with glowing, floating spheres.

Rei tentatively reached out to touch one of the ghostly spheres that had drifted nearby. At first contact, strange warmth trickled through the woman's fingers like a spill of warm water before the sphere broke and dissipated into a shower of blue powder.

"Ah…!" Rei pulled her hand back in surprise. She hadn't been expecting that; not that she'd ever seen something like it before anyway.

She turned her head towards the rest of the spheres, eyeing them all with suspicion. From what she saw next, she knew the unknown entities were not there for leisurely idling. They began to part to both sides of the corridor until they created a path that was lit by two rows of these strange lights. What was Neptune up to? Was there somewhere that she wanted the heir to go? Momentarily Rei felt a stab of annoyance at the thought of being led around like some dumb animal, yet her logical side couldn't stay quiet and instead refuted the childish anger with the logic that she had been planning on going down this corridor anyway.

_Minako…_

The reason why she had been wandering aimlessly all this time came back to her.

Although Rei was confused at why Neptune hadn't sought revenge for her grudge, since the Goddess _had_ haunted the Martian twice during her visit, she would rather not push it. With that in mind, she once again set off down the newly lighted corridor.

(Underground Cavern)

Rei came skidding to a stop just before she hit the water's edge. This was where the trail ended, but the area appeared to be vacant.

_Huh? Why am I back here?_She couldn't help but wonder why this place was so special. Taking a deep breath, and gulping hard, Rei did a quick check and dispersed strands of her power along the bottom of the cavern's floor. There was the occasional obstruction by the uneven ground or a pebble but she could not sense anything unusual.

_That's strange...I don't sense anything here. _She glanced around the cavern with her spiritual vision, finding nothing other than broken strands of aura. In this particular area, she could find both red and aquamarine traces left over from the fight long ago but there was still no sign of Minako. Well, wasn't that peachy? She was tempted to just leave and scratch this whole escapade off as a waste of time.

Out of her peripheral vision, she noted that the spiritual lights had yet to fade. Rei turned around and attempted to step forward back onto the path, and, to her surprise, nothing happened. She took another shaky step before turning on the spot and returned to the water's edge to ponder this.

She couldn't quite describe the feeling, but there was a nagging feeling that she shouldn't be so hasty.

_Maybe, I'll take another look around after all._

Inwardly shrugging, Rei pulled her consciousness back and cautiously tread into the water. As she waded to the center of the cavern, she could sense her powers complete their grid-like search; the entire bottom floor was now covered by a net-like grid. For security purposes, the soldier left it out as she continued her investigation.

_**Sploosh, sploosh, sploosh…**_

After approximately twenty minutes of 'playing' in the water and still finding nothing, Rei was becoming impatient. Several of times of slipping and falling, needless to say, she was soaked to the bone. She was beginning to wonder if this was Neptune's revenge: if it was one thing that didn't mix well, it was Martians and water.

"This is just so stupid! What am I supposed to be looking for anyway?" Rei grumbled under her breath. She sniffled and crinkled her nose, resisting the urge to sneeze. She had half a mind to go back to dry land and warm herself up when she heard someone bellow her name.

"REEEEI! Where are you?!"

Rei whipped her head at the sound. _Minako?! _She stood frozen for a moment, trying to identify the approaching signature. They had a similar coloured aura to the Venusian, but, no, it wasn't Minako. She stared intently at the entrance until she saw Uranus Haruka come sliding to a stop, just avoiding an unpleasant plunge into the water.

"Rei? Is that you?! I've been looking all over for you!"

Rei stared at her friend for a moment longer, taking careful note of her dishevelled appearance.

_She was looking for me? Well, isn't that ironic. It seems like everyone is looking for someone today._

"...Haruka." She curtly nodded.

"Hah…hah…whew… Jeez, you're so hard to find sometimes! Why'd you go and bury yourself down here of all places?" She peered around, giving her eyes a chance to adjust to the dim lighting. While the woman was distracted, Rei's dark eyes glanced behind her and dryly noted how the ghostly lights had vanished. Great, now she was back to square one.

Rei heard a splashing when Haruka stepped into the water and began to wade towards her. For a split-second she felt a breeze brush up against her and involuntarily shivered. Haruka was really beginning to test her patience with that trick.

"You're soaking wet! What were you doing, taking a swim?"

"Of course not! I wouldn't be down here if it weren't for-"

"For?"

"Never mind. You said you were looking for me, right? Well, what did you want?"

"Ohh...I caught you at bad time, huh?" Haruka was a few meters away now. Rei had turned her back to her, subtly giving her the hint that she didn't want to be bothered right now. "Well, that's too bad, because I'm not in the best of moods right now either. I'm going to be blunt with you Rei. Minako's gone-- did you have anything to do with it?"

"...Gone?"

"I mean, as in off of this planet gone." Haruka crossed her arms and stared at the woman with a frown. "She took one of the shuttles and left before the planet shield was reactivated. Michiru's gone to investigate it, but I thought there might be a faster way to get some answers."

Rei could hardly believe it. "That's why you're here? You think it's my fault that she left? Just what are you accusing me of?"

"I'm not accusing you of anything! It's just, you two seemed close. I was just wondering if you knew anything about it. Like... did she say anything to you, like she was thinking about leaving or anything like that?"

"No. She didn't..."

"Oh. I see."

"I didn't even know she was gone until you mentioned it."

"Is that so? I'm sorry, I thought you knew." Haruka turned her head away awkwardly. Now what was she going to say? No doubt Rei was going to have some questions, and she wasn't about to be disappointed.

"So, you're saying that she left the planet? Do you know where she's headed?"

Haruka hesitated, but only for a moment. "The shuttle's navigation path is set for Venus. She's going home."

Rei had half-expected that answer, but actually hearing it was an entirely different matter. She almost felt like laughing. It was all falling into place now; it was no wonder she couldn't detect the Venusian earlier. This entire time, while she was rushing around like a clueless idiot, ignorant and guilt-ridden, Minako had already left Neptune's orbit. She was going to be out of her reach forever.

But why did she leave? Did she finally open her eyes and see what she was? Or did she simply get what she came to Mars for and decided that she had enough? Rei didn't even want to consider the third option. Minako had left without a word-- it was plain and simple.

"Well, doesn't that just solve everything?" Rei whispered under her breath.

Haruka was starting to feel uneasy when Rei started to chuckle to herself.

"Rei...? Is everything okay?"

_Just like that. She does that and then leaves without a word! Or...could it be that she leave because of that? _

'_**Slap!'**_

'My fault.' The words echoed loudly and deeply within her.

"...It's nothing. Is that all you wanted to tell me?"

"Nothing?" Haruka was incredulous. "Is that all you've got to say for yourself?"

"What did you expect me to say?"

Haruka sighed. "Rei...you know I respect you for being a very logical person, and I know you're probably a little bit sore about all of this... but are you really just going to let her go? If you do, you might regret it for the rest of your life."

"Regret...?" There was some bite in her tone. "If she wants to go home, then why should I stop her?"

"Because you care about her."

"...You don't even know what you're talking about."

"Actually, I think I do. I've seen what you're like when you two are together. Do you really expect me to believe that she means nothing to you, not even as a friend?"

"Heh, a friend? That's a good one. I barely know her. She just dropped in on Mars one day and I've been stuck with her ever since."

"You're avoiding the question." When Rei didn't respond, Haruka tried another approach. "Back on Uranus, it sounded like you were pretty worried about her going home. In fact, you were so worried about her well-being that you stayed by her side in the infirmary until she woke up."

"You were spying there too?" She growled.

"No. I heard it from two little birdies." Haruka smiled. "I had my doubts at first, but it must've been true since you didn't bother to deny it."

This earned a scowl from the Martian. "That doesn't mean anything. She was under my protection at the time, so why wouldn't I be there?"

"So...you're claiming it's all for duty? In that case, why did you decide to stop protecting her?" She sensed Rei's hesitation and pressed on. "There's something that still doesn't seem right to me. From what I know about her, she doesn't strike me as the type to take off without a reason. Michiru thought so too. For instance, that call she got awhile back... Didn't that seem odd to you?" She noticed that she had Rei's undivided attention, and was pleased that she was making progress. "It might have just been me, but Minako looked almost scared to answer it. What if the call was from Aphrodite? What if Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, found out about what Minako did on Uranus? I mean, taking over a planet isn't exactly small news. If her mother found out about her involvement, she could be in big trouble."

"If that's the case... Then she should face the consequences of her decision. Before we came to Neptune, she said she would when the time came."

"_Is this what it's about? Are you worried about what my mother would think?"_

"_..."_

"_Just so you know... it doesn't matter."_

"_..."_

"_Look, I know what I did. And yes, I killed some people. But, that was my choice. I chose to do that. I did, what I thought was right... If I'm going to be punished for what I did, then I'll accept it when the time comes."_

"Brave words... I'm kind of impressed, but it doesn't mean that she isn't scared." Haruka pointed out. "How many times have you had a God tell you you're going to be punished and not feel even a tiny bit worried? Getting beaten up and left barely alive was almost like a relief, don't you think?"

"It's her mother."

"And you think she'll go easier on her because of it? Remember, she's from a planet that looks down on murder the most, AND she's a royal."

"She's the only heir."

"Are you sure about that?"

"What?"

Haruka shook her head and ignored the questioning look. "Tch. So really don't care what happens to her. You're just going to let it all end like that, without a fight. That's pretty cold, even for you."

"A fight?" The comment struck a nerve. "Is that what you want from me? You want me to go and pick a fight with a God? Tch, what are the chances that a human could win a battle like that?" Her earlier run in with Neptune's ghost left a scar on her pride. She couldn't even beat a shadow of a God, never mind standing a chance against a living one. "All right... For argument's sake, let's say that I happened to win by a fluke. Then what? I'm sure that would go over well with Minako: Sorry, but I had to beat your mother up. Hope we can still be fr...friends..."

"That's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?"

Both sides came to a stalemate. Haruka had a good enough mind to just walk away and let the Martian sulk in misery, but that was also the reason why she couldn't leave. Regardless of how infuriatingly, thick-headed the woman was, Rei was still her best friend and she knew that she was hurt. She never imagined that Rei would be the last one to find out; at the very least, she figured that Rei would be the one person Minako would say good-bye to.

"I'm leaving."

"Wait a minute--" Haruka opened her mouth to say more, but she then sensed Michiru's presence flood into the area. Judging by the haste that it came and left, Rei was getting bad vibes about it.

"What was that about?" Rei asked once the third party left. She didn't like this uncomfortable silence. "...Haruka?"

Still, the other woman held her tongue for a moment. She wasn't sure how to break this to her friend.

"That was Michiru. It looks like we now know why Minako left. Venus has been invaded..." She darkly muttered.

"What…? Invaded? By who? When?!"

"It's bad. It's Mars, Rei."

Rei felt her blood run cold. "B-But that's impossible! I didn't give any orders to-"

"...Mars Ares." Haruka finished. It was like a final blow to the Martian. "We can't pinpoint his exact location at the moment, but apparently he's on the move. Michiru says he's already encountered the Venusian army, but they're having trouble holding their own. Like I said, it's pretty bad."

Rei balled her hand into a tight fist. "Ares, huh?"

_...Ares._ Rei wasn't sure if she was breathing anymore; the one she had been waiting for all of these years, the one who betrayed the Planetary Alliance, her mentor, was about to set Venus ablaze in flame.

_But that's where..._

Was Minako aware of that?

As if she read the Martian's expression, Haruka said, "He's probably after Aphrodite's bloodline. As much as I hate to say this, if you don't go she'll probably die."

_**Lubb Dubb!**_

_Why me? She was the one who said she didn't want to be protected anymore. _It was almost too ironic for words. If it wasn't the heir of Mars that would be the death of her, it would be its ruler.

Haruka was quickly losing her patience. "Didn't you just hear what I said? Forget the punishment from her mother! Ares is going to kill her if you don't do anything!"

Rei gritted her teeth.

"Rei!"

"What do you want from me?! If you care about her that much then why don't you go and rescue her yourself?!"

_**Crackle!**_

Rei was knocked off of her feet by a bolt of gold lightning. She fell back-first into the water and sputtered as she struggled for balance.

"Because... it _has _to be you." Haruka's aura had dimmed, but it remained as a thin veil around her body and partially lit up the chamber. She could somewhat make out her friend's features now, and, she was right, Rei _did_ look miserable. "I can help you. But I can't do this for you. I just don't understand. Why are you being so stubborn about all of this...? Tell me honestly...does she really mean nothing to you?"

"...It doesn't matter. Regardless of how I feel, I can't go after her."

"Why not?"

"Because..." Rei sighed. "Let's say that we do go to Venus. And we save her. What happens after that? For all you know someone else might kill her."

"Like who?"

"Me."

Haruka was shocked that Rei could ever suggest such a thing, but she forced herself to keep a stern face.

"That's ridiculous."

"Hah!" Rei slowly picked herself out of the water, and fell silent.

"You're hiding something from me, aren't you?" Haruka watched her quietly. "It sounds like to me that there's a lot more to this that you aren't telling me."

Rei took a deep breath, and straightened up. It was disgusting; just the thought of the battle from years ago, of all the blood spilt by Ares, was stirring her cravings again.

"It's simple, really. She shouldn't have let me live." _If she knew, then she wouldn't have sacrificed herself. _

"Who?"

"Neptune. Don't you remember? She sacrificed herself for us. But if I hadn't jumped in, she wouldn't have had to."

"Hey. I told you, that wasn't anybody's fault. It's Apollo's-- and isn't that another good reason to go to Venus? Are you willing to let Ares take away someone else important to you?"

"I told you Haruka. I could kill her later..."

Haruka was ready to pull her hair out. "Grr...This is getting ridiculous! Stop talking all cryptic to me! What, exactly, are you trying to say?"

"I'm talking about...this."

Haruka was forced to shield her eyes when a golden light erupted around the Martian. It wasn't like her aura at all; it felt wild and violent, as if it were about to lash out at her at any moment. But as soon as it emerged out, Rei steadily reeled it in until it also surrounded her body in a thin veil of light.

A few seconds passed as Haruka struggled to recover from the shock. It wasn't the crimson aura that she had always come to expect; there was something darker, and monstrous about it.

"Rei...?"

The Martian slowly tilted her chin up and stared her back in the face. There was something different glittering in her glowing eyes; Haruka wasn't sure if her friend recognized her, or if she looked like a juicy piece of meat to devour.

"Get it now?" Rei winced as if she were in pain; every muscle fiber in her body was twitching as the instincts threatened to take over.

Haruka was at a loss. "Rei...what happened to you...?"

"You know why they call us barbarians? This is why." Rei held her hand up and peered at the wild energy rushing around it. It was nearly bursting through her invisible restraints. _But you wouldn't know that. No one does, except Him and me. _"If she stays near me... Minako will die. You will too...That's why, you're right. I need to leave, but not to Venus."

_I need to get out of here... _The warning bells were sounding off loudly in her head.

"I see." _I kinda thought so. It's just like on Uranus. "_That's why you've been keeping your distance... you were worried that you'd hurt us. But... so what?"To Rei's surprise, Haruka merely shook her head and smirked. "Listen, I don't know how this came about, but I _know _that you weren't always like this. You aren't a bloodthirsty killer, Rei; you're better than that. You're my friend."

"Haruka..."

"And who do you think you're talking to? You really think you can kill me? You've been trying for years, but I'm still here." She shrugged.

"Hah. Gimme a break."

"...Seriously. We'll find a way to deal with this."

"There isn't a cure."

"Are you sure about that?" She saw Rei avert her gaze. "See? You don't know that for sure. But if we let Ami and Michiru know, I'm sure-"

"Not Michiru."

"Huh?"

Rei shook her head. "Don't let Michiru know. Promise me Haruka, that you won't tell her..."

"...Okay. I won't tell her...for now, at least." She could somewhat understand where Rei was coming from. Rei was afraid of how Michiru would react. "But this little thing isn't stopping us from making a trip to Venus, right?" She smiled.

"Haruka..." Rei growled.

"I think it's a fair deal. Besides, if you're really worried about Minako you'd go. You still have to try, but it doesn't have to be alone. Don't worry. If you lose control, we'll be there to stop you."

_We'll? _That was when she noticed two other signatures in the area. _Heh. How long have they've standing been there?_

"Yeah, sure." She almost smiled at that.

"You don't believe me? I'm hurt." Haruka stepped back as Rei's power began to dangerously swell again. _She won't be able to hold it back for much longer. I better alert the others. _

**Rmm…rmm…rmm…**

The place began to shake. Outside in the hallway, a green and blue aura joined together and formed a barricade that sealed off the area.

"Fine. See if you can!" The golden power snapped through the invisible restraints and flooded out into the area. The room was instantly bathed in the bright, golden light. "HARUKA!"

_If you die, I won't forgive you!_

Haruka gazed at her friend with dead-serious eyes. She could feel all of it now. All of Rei's pent up frustration and anger blasted through the chamber in waves of hot air and light. She took a deep breath. Through the light, she could make out Rei beginning to unsheathe the sword on her waist. This was it. She was going to fight her for real.

_When a God or Goddess loses control over their emotions, their human side, they fall back onto their instincts, and leave behind a trail of destruction in their wake. But although she's not a Goddess, Rei still has some serious power within her… _Haruka whipped out her hand and Uranus's sword materialized in her palm of her hand. _This could get ugly if we don't get it under control right away._

At the entrance of the cavern, Ami lightly touched Makoto's arm. The taller woman appeared to be on the verge of being upset herself.

_That's what happened to me..._ Her friend was losing all control just as she had on Uranus. As much as it pained Makoto to see this, in her heart she knew this was the only way.

There was one thing that Rei needed to understand, to be convinced of first.

**RMM…RMM…RMM…**

**Tup…**

"Rei…" Haruka growled in a low voice, her green eyes flashed dangerously. "Come on! Show me what you got! I'm...right...HERE!"

Rei brandished her sword and charged forward; Haruka reacted in turn. The wind ruler swung her sword, unleashing a stream of piercing wind towards her opponent.

"HAAAAAA!!!"

_**Slash---**_**BoOoOoOoOoOoM!**

The Martian responded instantly and jerked to the side, narrowly avoiding the gust. A fleeting look of surprise crossed her face, just before her golden, glowing eyes narrowed in amusement.

Rei lunged forward, her sword raised, glowing with the gold energy, and took a swing at the tall woman. Haruka evaded the head strike, and found herself becoming a victim to the rhythm Rei was setting for them. She could barely take a swing at the Martian before she was forced to duck or jump back; Rei was giving her nothing.

_She's so fast! _Haruka saw the tip of a blade come down and threw her sword up to block it. "RRG!" She heard it before she saw it; the sound of snapping metal, followed by her sword shattering into tiny, indefinable pieces. "Wha-?"

She could only blink back in surprise when she felt pain register along her right shoulder and a foot mercilessly swinging around and crashed into the side of her face.

**Whomp!**

"Oof!" She briefly spun mid-air before she hit the water's surface and skid across it in a series of half rolls, limbs flailing, before she finally came to a stop. The entire world was spinning.

"S-Shit..." Haruka spat out a mouthful of water and shook her head. "W-When did she get so strong?"

She raised a hand up to her shoulder guard. At first she thought Rei might have hit the gap between the pieces, but it was far worse than that- she had cut straight through her armor like it was nothing.

_Where is that power coming from?!_

In the distance, she could hear fighting still going on. Someone else had stepped in.

_**Tup!**_

**Bam! Bam! Bam!**

Haruka finally spotted the source of the gunfire. Ami had climbed onto a higher ledge of the cavern and was raining bullets to keep Rei subdued. At the same time, she spotted Makoto materializing her spear at the side.

"Hey! What are you doing? I can handle this!" Haruka shouted to the pair.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that!" Makoto shouted back. The blonde followed the direction where she pointed and came to a startling realization:

_None of the bullets are hitting her! _It was all starting to spell some serious trouble.

Haruka re-materialized her sword and jumped back into the fray. To the side, Makoto's eyes met Ami's above. The blue-haired genius had understood the predicament even before Jupiter hinted for a change of strategy; as Makoto went to join Haruka in the fight below Mercury's current bullets were emptying the firing slot and were being replaced with a blue tipped brand.

**Cha-chink—**_**clatter**_

"HAAAAAH!"

_**Tup!**_

_**Slash---**_**BoOoOoOoOoOoM!**

"Damn!" Haruka cursed the miss. "I almost had her!"

_This is really getting to be a pain in the ass. If only she'd hold still!_ The wind ruler thought. Rei was drifting farther and farther away from her usual fighting pattern-- there were a lot of wild leaps and jerks that she hadn't seen before. It was like she had transformed into a sword-carrying, animal acrobat.

As she raced forward to re-engage in close-hand combat with Rei, the Martian shot back out of range once again.

"The hell?! Stop running away!"

_**Slash---**_**BoOoOoOoOoOoM!**

**TUP!**

Haruka fell back when Makoto charged forward, knowing full well of the change in strategy. She was very sensitive to sound; the wind informed her of Ami changing bullets before Jupiter had known. Without even looking, Haruka could see the blue symbol engraved into the new bullets with the blue aura.

_So that's it huh? _But there was one thing bothered her. _But... it still doesn't make any sense! Where is that power coming from? She just keeps getting stronger and stronger, but what's fuelling it? It's like it's a part of her, but at the same time it isn't! _

The Martian's aura was still steadily flaring up, so much that the temperature of the room had begun to rise. As the fight persisted, the water level in the underground chamber continued to drop. Truthfully, Haruka was beginning to worry that they might actually need to bring Michiru in to stop her.

Makoto jumped up and caught Rei off-guard. She brought her spear down with a vertical slash so quickly that she forced the Martian to use her sword.

**Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!**

"YAAAAH!"

_**Slash----Clash!**_

But the victory was short-lived once Makoto realized that she couldn't out-muscle Rei. They were stuck in deadlock, sword against spear. In response Makoto planted her back foot down and pumped more of her aura into the duel, creating a higher swirl of wind. The Martian countered similarly, and soon a swirling column of air blasted all around the two combatants.

_Rrgh...! C'mooon!_

A backlash of their struggle scratched Makoto's fingers, startling her and drew some blood. For a split-second, Rei's gaze trained in hard on the red matter.

"AhhRRgh!"

_Makoto...?_ The red haze over her eyes flickered. _When did-? _Instead of lunging at the woman, she parried the spear, one-handed, and then drove the sword into the ground. A blast of flame leapt up and blocked the taller woman's path for a precious few seconds more.

_What's she doing--?! _Haruka heard Rei's heart-rate leap. _Why did she throw her sword away?_

Not to be the one to back down, Makoto threw her spear aside and immediately chased after her.

"Oh no, you don't!"

Ami was quickly becoming frustrated as the two women began to engage in close hand-to-hand. She did her best to aim at Rei from where she was positioned, but she found that she couldn't get a clear shot; Makoto was just too close.

_**Whup-Whap! Whap-Whap! Whap! Thud!**_

**Tup!**

"Don't get too close!" Makoto heard Haruka call over to her. She was tempted to yell back and retort that her yelling was more distracting, but she was cut off by a light pressure hovering over her neck. The tall woman slightly shifted her weight, pushing Rei's hand off center and instead grabbed at it. Her second hand clamped down hard on her friend's shirt about her collar, feeling the weight for a brief second atop of her shoulders before she slammed her opponent into the watery floor.

Rei gasped.

Makoto swung her arm around and immediately dove, elbow-first. Rei twisted on the floor, taking advantage of it slipperiness, and kicked Makoto's forward leg. The tall woman slipped. As she fell, Rei dragged her down and then tossed her up and over with her momentum. She had nearly slid into the opposite wall from the sheer strength of Rei's throw.

"Hah…hah…" Makoto tried to catch her breath. She couldn't believe how insanely difficult this was. "She just... keeps going and going! Doesn't she get tired?"

_But for a second there, I actually caught her. Even though her power keeps going up... Is it just me, or is she slowing down?_

"Do it now!" Haruka shouted.

Mercury took aim and pulled the trigger, but the bullet just grazed Rei's arm. She was back on the run.

"I knew it! She's slowing down!" Haruka whispered to herself. "But her power is still going up. Why?!"

_Something's seriously wrong!_

Rei's vision had darkened considerably since the fight began. It had started like a transparent veil over her eyes, and then became bolder in colour as she caught the scent of blood. But now, as the fight carried on, it just started to fade altogether; it was almost as if a shadow was beginning to sit over her eyes. All of her senses were dulling. Or was it just her mind?

From the side, Haruka raised a hand and tightly grasped a stream of air left over from Rei and Makoto's initial encounter; Rei yelped in surprise when the air encircled her and momentarily stopped her in her tracks.

"Ami, can you do a quick scan?!"

"I can't! My computer is still broken!"

"Tch!!" With no other choice, Haruka boosted her hearing abilities as the wind continued to circle around the Martian. And what she found, she didn't like at all.

_Shit!_ _Her body—it's breaking down! Never mind about killing us, you're going to kill yourself first! _Haruka gritted her teeth. It was no wonder she was slowing down. _Just what kind of technique is that?! It's giving her a crazy huge boost in power, but it's killing her! If we don't stop her soon, she'll be--_

Her concentration was becoming punctured by Rei's furious roars. She needed to think fast. Rei was still a tad too fast for Ami to hit. They needed a distraction.

_I got it._

Taking her sword, Haruka grunted and cut deeply into her hand. She intently studied the Martian's reaction as her blood hit the water and began to permeate through it. It was driving Rei's bloodlust to new heights.

_Blood!_ The single word rang out in her mind. It felt like her body was going to die if she didn't have it. With a possessed bellow, the Martian broke Haruka's wind binds and blindly chased after the scent.

"Haruka, look out! She's coming straight for you!" Makoto shouted.

_That's right... _"Come on!"_ Just a little closer!_ Haruka stubbornly waited for the shorter woman.

Once she was within range, her opponent lunged straight for her hand. Haruka moved at once; she pulled her injured hand back, luring her opponent forwards, then simultaneously knocked Rei's head down with the other hand, hard, as her knee drove up into the woman's abdomen. Rei grunted, but she wasn't given the chance to retreat again. Haruka spun her around into a tight hold.

"Ami!"

**Bam!**

"G---AAAAH!!!!"Rei felt something pierce her left leg. She felt the bullet's effects instantly: It was a cold, seeping feeling. The golden aura was being eaten away--Ami's bullet was draining her of her strength.

Rei glowered up at the sniper who was trying to uphold a brave face. Despite their distance, Rei could discern the trembling of Ami's hand. Her friend didn't want to shoot her, but unconsciously they both knew it was necessary.

After a few seconds, Rei slumped slightly in Haruka's grip-- suddenly her knees were beginning to feel weak. The red haze over her eyes was starting to lift.

_W-ha...?_

"_These battles against Gods and Goddesses… I won't become one and be forced to fight against my friends!"  
_  
Her words rang back loud and clear.

_What am I doing? Where am I?_

Haruka sensed the sudden change in Rei's condition. _It's working! _Up above, she could see Ami taking aim again. "Do one more!"

**Bam!**

But Rei ripped out of Haruka's grasp and evaded. As she scurried towards the outside perimeter of the cavern, she was gradually regaining her self-awareness. The first thing that registered was that her body was in a great deal of pain. Was she injured? She hit a slick patch of rock and stomped down on her left foot for balance; a sharp pain shot up her leg.

"Ouch! Wha-the?!" Rei's whipped her head around and scanned the area, but her blurry vision refused to focus. The only thing she could clearly discern was the scent of blood in the area; her sense of smell magnified the scent greatly, but for some reason it was becoming too powerful. Why was it coming closer--

The smell of blood was suddenly in her face; another hand wrapped around and grabbed a fistful of her hair, pulling her close. "Is this how you want to live your life?" Someone hissed into her ear. Her head was forcibly shoved into the water.

_**Splash!**_

_If you're going to do something, whatever it is, you have to do it with everything you've got! Especially you, Rei… people with a limited lifespan don't have time to waste!_

The hand atop of her head shoved once more for good measure before releasing her. Rei immediately broke the surface and coughed. Haruka then grabbed her shirt from behind and threw her several meters ahead.

"Let me tell you something Rei. Do you know how we knew about Venus? Michiru received a transmission from Venus, that Venus needed help…And do you know who it was from? It was from a royal, a prince."

Something flickered in Rei's eyes, but Haruka wasn't about to let her rest. Not yet. She watched the stubborn soldier stagger up to her feet.

"Remember our earlier discussion? Why a God only has one child? Well, as it turns out, Minako isn't actually the heir. She's has siblings. She's the youngest of eight! Do you know what that means? Well, do you...?"

Rei weakly lashed out at the woman, to which the blonde easily knocked her back down.

"Sloppy," Haruka brushed off the attempt as desperate. It wasn't even a contest anymore. "It means that she's no more a Goddess than _you _are! But who's real coward here? Even after she found out that you were human, did she hold it against you? No. She stayed with you; she accepted you for who you were! And you're telling me that meant nothing to you? What about what happened on Uranus? She's willing to go back and accept her punishment, fine, but who dragged her there in the first place? Even though she's practically powerless, she isn't running away. That's more than what I can say about you. All you're doing is making excuses and sulking in self-pity! That isn't like you at all!"

Unknown to everyone else in the area, the aura net Rei had laid earlier began to re-awaken beneath them.

"SO, when you go to Venus, is that the power you're going to fight with?" Rei could sense the woman approaching, and, this time, she could place a name to that face. "Are you going to let Minako see you like this? And what would Michiru say?"

"Haruka, that's enough!" Makoto hissed. "You're going to make her..."

_...Angry. Oh!_

Haruka watched the raven-haired woman intently from a short distance away. Rei hadn't even twitched at the comment; she was simply sitting there, quietly. While her appearance almost begged for a 'wet puppy' comment from the blonde, she wasn't about to push it.

In Haruka's peripheral vision she could see Ami ready with another bullet if it was required. She held her hand up, asking Ami to wait a bit longer.

"You promised..." Rei began to stand up, "...that you wouldn't tell."

_I am making excuses, aren't I? She's right; this isn't like me at all. But the truth is, as much as I hate to admit it... I haven't been the same ever since she stepped into my life. Minako... because of her, everything started to change. Maybe, just maybe...I'm a little afraid of that-- change. _She thought back to the kiss. _I still don't know why she did that but, at the very least, I think... I'd rather have her in my life than not at all..._

_That much is your fault._

A smile came to Haruka's face when the golden aura around Rei suddenly burst into crimson. The Martian threw out a strand of her power and snagged her sword at a distance. With that she ripped it straight out of the ground and back into her waiting hand.

_Now we're talking! _Rei's amethyst eyes met Haruka's green ones. There was no trace of the red haze anywhere.

"Hah, you can barely stand up. Do you really think you can stop me?"

Rei placed one foot forward and raised her sword. _Even if you are a Goddess now... _"Not a problem."

Haruka was momentarily confused when Rei suddenly raised a hand and snapped her fingers.

**RMM…RMM…RMM…**

The cavern began to shake once again.

"N-Now what?!" Makoto was desperately trying to keep her balance but was finding it extremely difficult.

"Makoto, look down!" Ami warned.

"Huh?!" _What the-?!_

Haruka held her breath when a bright crimson aura lit the floor below the watery surface; there were threads of Rei's aura snaking all across the floor in a grid-like pattern.

_When did that happen?!_

"Oh, you just noticed?" Rei saw the woman's head shot up. "A little _sloppy_, wouldn't you say?" A rare smirk lit Rei's lips as the threads flashed brightly, engulfing the whole room in their light.

As the light reached Haruka and Makoto, all the wind ruler could do was smirk back.

"It's about time… you idiot!" The blonde released the restraints on her power and they clashed one final time.

**WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**

(Minako, Space Shuttle)

Minako awoke when a strong vibe suddenly hit her. "Rei?" For a moment, she could have sworn that Rei was with her- just like the woman always was between the long flights. But this time, there was only her face staring back at her in the window glass.

"It must've been my imagination..." _That, or my mind is going. Heh. Everything seems to be slipping away from me these days…_ She bit back a bitter chuckle.

On the dashboard a warning window popped up, indicating that she had reached Venus's orbit. Minako reluctantly returned her attention to the clear window as the space craft passed into a swirl of cloud.

There were many things that were weighing heavily on her mind-- being away from her favorite teddy-bear was, sadly, amongst the largest. Ever since she met Rei, life had been a struggle; for an obligation to the family, her mother sent her far away—all of the preparation that went into the mission, the tedious, pain staking plans, she couldn't imagine how much effort went to waste. And then, to top it all off, she ended up being dragged off to one planet after another, and was even passed off as a 'maid' once. She could almost giggled at the memory if it didn't break her heart so; even after all of the tears, the self-delusions and practiced goodbye speeches- she still felt like she was never really ready to part ways with her. Not yet.

Minako sighed to herself and whispered, "Why do I still miss you?"

_I mean, you're loud, stubborn, short-tempered...not to mention, a tad bit anti-social. You're infuriatingly difficult to deal with sometimes... But at the same time, you have a good heart. You really care about your friends. _The thought brought a sad smile to her face. _I wonder, did she ever consider me as a friend too? _

Their last meeting replayed itself through her mind, reminding her of her bittersweet victory and defeat.

_The times I spent with you were some of the best times of my life. I'm never going to forget it, ever..._ She vowed.

The shuttle initiated the landing sequence and the speakers came on overhead. Minako unstrapped herself from the chair, and briefly felt the butterflies in her stomach flutter. Though she had put on a brave face back on Uranus, admittedly, she was somewhat afraid and apprehensive about the meeting. But she had already come this far, and had made a promise to a special friend.

Gathering a little courage, Minako took that first step out of the room, out of the shuttle, and made her way towards the palace grounds.

**Tup…tup…tup…**

(Cupid Palace)

A gust of hot air hit Minako's face the instant she stepped onto fresh soil. That was strange; the grounds were empty. No one had come to greet her.

_It's just like on Mars. Mars..._ The word brought back a few memories again. _No, I can't. _She shook her head.

"I'm home." She told herself.

Minako took a few steps towards the main entranceway, but she suddenly remembered something. After debating it silently for a minute she glanced around to either side, confirming that she was indeed alone, she then changed course and stepped around the palace towards the back.

**Tup…tup…tup…**

It wasn't long before Minako found herself standing in front of a small gate. To either side of it, wrapped closely to the green fence, were tall bushes of red roses. Minako eyed them fondly for a moment before she slipped inside. Within the rose-lined fencing, there was a greater assortment of flowers within the numerous plots. The blonde obediently followed the bricked pathway, making her way all the way down to the far end.

_I wonder if it's still here..._

Finding herself lost in a moment of silence, the Venusian Princess wandered until she found the plot and fondly exclaimed, "Aha! There it is!"

She had found it. Near a back corner amongst the prized flowers, there was a smaller plot. But compared to the flowers around it, it made for a shabby display at best; these flowers were still seedlings that had only begun to sprout. It would be awhile yet before they would reach their potential-- it happened every season. They were always the last ones to bloom.

"Hmm... I think they grew a little since I left."

_It looks like Marie has been taking after them while I was away._ The woman bent down and grazed her knuckles against the soft soil. Already Minako found herself becoming lost in her thoughts.

_Haruka, Ami, Michiru, Makoto, and Rei… they were all heirs. I wonder what that must be like. My mother had eight children, me being the youngest. Eros, my only brother, and the oldest of us eight is the heir to my mother. I remember when I was a kid, he was always busy. He was always constantly training and taking lessons from Mother._

_Eros...I…even though I'm his little sister, I hardly know him at all. I've only spoken to him once in my entire life, and it was when we first met. But from what I do know, he seemed so kind, strong and brave. I couldn't think of a better person to be the heir. But after meeting Rei and everyone else... I'd be lying if I said I wasn't even a little jealous. They all knew each other since they were little. And even if they hadn't, they would still have one thing in common; they're all going to rule their planets someday..._

She shook the thought away.

_Besides Eros, there's Marie, the second eldest of us eight. None of my other sisters ever paid attention to me… but Marie did. I'm not really sure why she did, even now… But she seemed to care enough because _we_ planted this garden together._

Minako reached out to gently touch one of the nearby samplings.

**. . .**

_At the entranceway of the garden, a thirteen-year old Venus Minako innocently reached out to touch a nearby rose. Too caught up in her curiosity though, the girl mistakenly grasped one of the thorns with it._

_**Prick**_

"_Ow!" She leapt back in surprise and fell to her knees to stare at the small wound. There was already a trickle of blood appearing on her fair skin. "Ow, ow, ow, ow!"_

"_Minako? Is everything all right?" A voice called to her. When the teenager looked up, she found herself face to face with her elder sister; she was a beautiful woman who appeared to be in her early twenties. Long, wavy blonde hair cascaded down her back, complemented by her white dress. _

_Marie's gaze fell to the girl's clutched hand. Instantly seeing the problem, she bent down with a concerned expression and began to clean the wound with material from her dress._

"_H-Hey!" Minako squeaked, her face immediately going red. She tried to pull her hand away but it was to no avail._

"_Now really, what's wrong?" Her sister giggled at the younger girl's attempts to free herself. "You're acting like I'm a monster about to goggle you up."_

"_N-No! It's not like that, really…!"_

"_You know, Mother would disapprove if she heard you stuttering," Marie teased._

_Unsure of how to react, Minako could only rudely stare. She had become entranced by her sister's long hair, how it moved whenever the woman laughed. She had such a warm voice. And her blue eyes, although Minako knew that all her siblings shared a common hair and eye color, the girl decided from the moment she first met Marie that her sister had the prettiest blue eyes she had ever seen._

"_Now, tell me... what's the problem? What's bothering my little sister?" Marie encouraged. She had just finished tending to the younger girl's 'injury'._

"… _I only met you, and I'm already making a fool of myself." Minako bashfully admitted. She wasn't sure how her sister would react to such a confession, but, for some reason, she felt like she could trust her._

_The look in Marie's gaze softened in understanding. "Oh, sweetie…Minako, this might be hard for you to accept right now, but I'd like you know that you have absolutely nothing to be ashamed about. Some people... just start later than others. You'll get used to being out here with time..."_

"_You know about that too?" Minako's face flushed a crimson red. Her hands fumbled with themselves on her lap nervously; she never realized how easily she could be read._

"_Hmm…Taya and Sapphro may have mentioned it."_

"_WHAT?!" 'How could they? My life is over!' The teen thought. She never had wanted her sister to know how she felt about… that._

"_There, there… The past is the past Minako dear… What happened is done. Why don't we focus on the present?"_

"_But… what ARE we going to do?"_

_Marie held up a packet of seeds, and smiled. "I thought, perhaps... you would like to try gardening. So what do you say?"_

**. . .**

Minako pushed herself up to her feet, and began to walk away from the garden.

_Perhaps I can request to see Marie again before Mother punishes me. I would love to see her smile again; it's just been too long since I began my lessons as a princess. There's so much that I want to tell her! I'm sure she'd love to hear all about Rei and the others... all of the adventures we went through… But I should probably leave out the killing part or she might scold me for that. Come to think of it, I don't remember if Marie ever left Venus before. Maybe I'll ask when I see her._

**Tup… tup… tup…**

**Clank, clank, clank**

Minako's ears perked up when she heard the sound of armor.

_That sounds like armor...? What's going on?_

Immediately the sound resonated with Rei's image. Minako felt her heart speed up and she ran towards the noise in anticipation.

**Tup! Tup! Tup!**

However, when she rounded the corner she almost ran straight into two lines of soldiers in orange armor. Venus's symbol, which was painted onto their shoulder guards, was the first thing to flash in her line of vision.

"What?" She whispered. There were never soldiers on Venus. Their planet never went to battles to her knowledge. So why were some of her people dressed up in battle armor?

Seeming to have recognized her presence, the marching men stopped. Their leader, who stood at the very front, slowly turned around and met Minako's gaze head on. He was a tall, handsome young man who appeared to be in his late twenties; the suit of armor that he wore also bore Venus's crest, however it had a cape attached to its back and appeared to be an upgraded version of what the others wore. A sheathed sword was attached to his side. As crystal-clear blue eyes met Minako's swirling cerulean, the younger blonde's heart skipped a beat. She knew that gaze. She knew this man.

"Lord Eleutherios! Is something the matter Your Highness?" The soldier behind him appeared to be slightly agitated by the abrupt halt. In response, their leader held out his hand for silence. Then, very deliberately, his attention shifted back to Minako.

_Eros…_ Minako's eyes widened.

"Minako." Eleutherios nodded. The tone in which he said her name made his younger sister shiver uneasily. There was hardly any warmth in his voice-- it was hard and almost cold. Was this really the brother she met all those years ago?

Minako gathered her courage and asked, "Eros, what's going on? Why are there people dressed up in armor? Is there going to be a fight?"

The man's blue eyes flashed. "I'm afraid that is none of your concern. Besides, isn't there something more important that you should be concerned about? Mother has been waiting for you."

"Mother…?"

"Yes, but unfortunately there are some matters that we both need to attend to first. Until then, Mother has instructed that you should be taken to your 'room' until she is ready to see you."

"What?!" Minako gasped, having caught the implication in his voice. A horrified expression plastered itself over her normally cheerful features. She couldn't believe it. Was he really serious? They were going to put her back _there?_

_No! _Her mind screamed. _I don't want to go back there!_

"Why?!" She demanded. "What sort of matters are you both so preoccupied with?"

"...You've failed your mission. That is all I have to say to you." Eleutherios said coolly.

Minako felt her knees go weak; disappointment was far worse than anger. It was true that she had failed her mission, but out of all the possibilities that had crossed her mind this was the one punishment that she never expected. Already she could feel her body trembling in anticipation. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, hear it in her ears; it was growing louder and louder as the image of a door came to mind. It was a large door, but this time it was opening.

"Wait. Can I please see Marie before I go?" There was a hint of desperation in her voice. They would grant her that much at least, wouldn't they?

"I'm afraid that is not possible..."

Minako's heart sank. "I don't understand. What do you mean it's impossible...?" Suddenly she was afraid, more afraid than she had ever been. She was terrified to hear that her sister didn't care about her anymore. She didn't want to hear that Marie, too, was disappointed with her for not finishing her mission.

Eleutherios turned his back to his younger sister. For the first time in the conversation, there was some emotion in his voice.

"…Because… Marie is dead."

**DOOOOOOM!**

Minako's mind instantly went blank.

"You there," Venus's heir pointed out a nearby soldier.

"Yes Sir!"

"Take Lady Minako to her room. After you're done, catch up with us."

"Sir!"

Minako felt numb, never noticing the man's strong arms steadying her against his side. She didn't realize she was being led away to that place--she suddenly didn't care.

…Marie… was dead.

**

* * *

**

**Next up in HFD, Ch. 16: Venus: In Dreams**

**Finding herself back in 'her room', Minako must come to grip with the past she had hidden away for so long. But can she face her past, the death of her beloved sister and the change in her kind brother without losing it herself?**


	16. Venus: In Dreams

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Sailor Moon.**

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* * *

**

_**Creeeeeeeeak.**_

(Minako)

_When I was born, I heard that the doctors were worried that I didn't inherit any of the royal power. Or, I guess you could say that it was my family who was worried. I didn't know about it at the time, but it's just like Haruka said. It was unheard of for a Goddess to have more than one child, yet, for some reason, my mother chose to have eight. Because of it, I heard that my sister before me only displayed a faint trace of Godly power compared to our elder siblings. She was barely stronger than an ordinary person. So when I came along…_

_As far back as I can remember... my earliest memories began with that room. I can remember it so clearly, even now. It had a fancy bed, soft pillows, toys... a private bathroom and a desk; almost everything someone could ever wish for. Almost. But it was missing the most important things. There were no windows to look out of… to stare out into the sky, to watch the clouds go by… It didn't even have the comforting warmth that came with being around another person. I knew that there were other people out there. When I was small, there were the maids and I could often hear them… just on the other side of the door…_

_**. . .**_

_**Tup…tup…tup…**_

_A small six-year old Venus Minako poked her head up from beneath the bed covers upon hearing the loud footsteps. She blinked twice with her young, blue eyes before realizing that she really was hearing what she thought she heard. Hurriedly, in a blink of an eye, the girl threw the bed covers aside and rushed towards the large door with everything she had, hoping to hear who was outside. Perhaps it was one of the maids?_

_**Tup…tup.**_

_The footsteps abruptly stopped outside her door. The child pressed her ear against the cold, solid frame. From the sounds of it there was more than one of them this time._

"_This is ridiculous!" A voice protested. Minako blinked once again; this was a new voice. She had heard many voices beyond this door before, but for some reason she was rather fond of this one. _

"_Lord Eleutherios, please! Calm yourself," His companion advised. "You know it has to be done-- it's for the best, for everyone's sake."_

_But the other individual would have none of it. "You really think it's for the best? For whose sake, again...? Certainly not for the child! How do you think locking her up in that room will benefit anyone? She hasn't even met her own Mother for God's sake!"_

_Minako pressed her ear closer to the door, wishing that she could see what was happening. Her eyes scanned the door's frame in a desperate attempt to find a way, until, finally, she spotted it. The keyhole, why hadn't she thought about it before?_

_Pushing herself up onto the tips of her toes the girl was finally able to glimpse a peek into the outside world. Up until then, she had never met a human being who looked at her fondly or a Goddess either for that matter. Every day the food would be pushed past the door, the brightness of the light always thwarting her attempts to catch a peek at whoever delivered the life sustaining substance. Other times, once in awhile, a maid would make sure she had bathed before rushing out to do other duties. They always seemed to be in a hurry to leave and she couldn't understand why, why they would always leave her alone. Far up on the ceiling of her room, there was a small metal device that would blink down at her-- her other companion. It would make a whirling sound every once in awhile, perhaps saying some gibberish that she couldn't understand, almost like it was now. Despite the mechanical creature, though, Minako continued to watch through the viewing hole; her blue eyes had adjusted enough by now that she could clearly make out two figures._

_There were two people as she had suspected, but the larger man was now shaking his head at the shorter boy. Did the boy do something wrong? She wondered._

"_I understand what you are saying Lord Eleutherios, but Her Majesty, your mother, has agreed that we cannot let the young Lady out until we have verified whether or not she possesses royal powers."_

"_And how long will that take? She's-- a person too!"_

"_You were about to say human, weren't you?" The other man caught on. He managed to push up his thick glasses with two fingers despite the bagginess of his white lab coat._

"_She's my sister! I don't care whether she has Goddess powers or not!"_

"_I see. Well, there's no reason to fret, young master. Queen Aphrodite will not abandon the child even if Lady Minako is not a true Goddess. There are still advantages of being a human with a Goddess's body."_

"_Grr--" Eleutherios's eyes sharpened threateningly at the man. The implication infuriated him. "What did you just say?"_

"_N-Now Lord Eleutherios, please! Be reasonable!" The scientist quickly stuttered. He knew better than to piss off the heir of Venus. ANY individual who would dare to incur the wrath of a God or Goddess for that matter would be a fool. "I am only stating that you should not worry so much about your 'sister'. Besides, Queen Aphrodite will be taking you under her wing shortly, no? Shouldn't you be concentrating on your studies instead?"_

"…_Move aside."_

"_E-Excuse me?"_

"_I want to see her." The heir stated very clearly. His eyes still hadn't waned in their intensity._

"_B-But you know I can't do that! It's best if the girl is monitored in solit--"_

"_I said, MOVE!"_

_**Crackle!**_

_Minako jumped back when a bright, orange light shot out of the boy and knocked the scientist out of sight. He then turned around, seemingly unperturbed by his actions, and approached the door. There was a strange orange glow around his body; it was so pretty that Minako felt herself become entranced by it. Did it feel warm as it looked? She was so dazed that she was startled when the door began to open._

_**Creeeeeeeak.**_

"_Eep!" The girl hurriedly scampered to her bed and slid underneath it. She remained there, peeking timidly past the bed covers that hung over the mattress's sides to watch that strange person appear in the doorway. It greatly reminded her of how she received her food every day, how the bright light appeared whenever the tray entered the room. Except this time, it was not a maid and there was no food. Now that she had gotten a better look at him, she could tell that he was different from the staff. She just didn't know how. It took almost everything the child could do to prevent from wriggling about; she felt anticipation and excitement all at once._

_The teenage boy at the doorway scanned the room for a moment before something caught his eye up on the ceiling. Minako craned her head to try and see what had caught his attention when an exploding noise hit her ears._

_**Crackle—boom!**_

_Small shards of metal fell to the floor in front of her. Instinctively she buried her head in her hands until everything went silent again._

_A minute or two quickly passed by. When she heard nothing the girl found the courage to open her eyes once again. For a moment she feared that the stranger had left…_

_He hadn't._

"_Minako?" Eleutherios called._

'_Minako' The child heard that name many times before. It was her name, wasn't it? The maids had always called her, 'girl' but somewhere, unconsciously, in her memories someone else had called her by that name. She was sure of it. _

"_Minako?" He asked again. The hardness in his gaze was gone and was instead replaced by worry._

_Where had that warmth come from? The girl wondered. She was so caught up in his eyes that she never sensed the orange aura that had snuck up behind her._

"_So there you are…"_

_**Tup…tup…tup…**_

_Minako felt her eyes widen as the stranger approached her hiding spot. She was caught up in a whirlwind of emotion. She wanted to be found, yet at the same time she wished that he would pass her by._

_In the end the girl did nothing but huddled herself tightly._

**…**_**Tup…tup.**_

_The footsteps stopped and the teen kneeled a small distance from the bed. An awkward silence ensued._

"_Minako...? Will you come out from under there…? I would like to see you, please?"_

_Minako opened one eye, surprised at the kind tone that she heard. There was warmth in his voice; could it really be directed at her? Now she was afraid, yet she wanted to meet this stranger too. The unexplainable bond that she felt between them was stronger now that the distance had been closed. Who was he?_

_Taking a chance, Minako slowly poked her head from beneath the covers. She was quickly amazed by what she saw; now that they were this close, Minako could make out the stranger's features much better. He had short blonde hair and blue eyes-- the same blonde hair and blue eyes that she saw in the mirror every day._

_Eleutherios held out his hand to her and smiled. "Finally we meet. Minako, I am your older brother Eleutherios."_

"_Brother?" Minako repeated quizzically. "Ele---eleutha--"_

_Noticing this, Eleutherios quickly offered, "You can just call me Eros."_

"_E-Eros." This time the girl repeated without difficulty. A proud smile lit her face when she saw her brother smile back at her. She had said it right. And when he opened his arms out to her, she laughed and jumped into the hug without hesitation. "Eros!"_

_They stayed like that for a long time. Minako had never felt anything this warm before. Maybe it was exactly what she had been longing for this entire time._

"_I'm sorry. I can't go against Mother's wishes…" Eleutherios solemnly began as he cradled her. "But I just can't stand how she let's those idiots watch you like a test subject with their cameras. I know she'll punish me for sure after I leave, but, at the very least, when I meet her, I will be able to request for someone who can take proper care of you. Someone... who can love you, instead of seeing you as just some…" _

_Failure…_

_A tug at his shirt drew his attention. "You can't…?"_

_For a moment her brother was speechless and a sad look entered his eyes. "I wish I could. Hah, Gods, I wish... but I will be very busy soon. I might not be able to talk to you for a long time, but I wanted to meet you, even if it was just once." He drew her tighter into the hug. "But even if we're far apart, it doesn't mean that I will care for you any less. It'll just be a little longer Minako. By the time you're thirteen, we'll know for sure."_

…_For sure…_

…… _For sure…._

………_..For sure…_

_(Seven Years Later…)_

_Minako was thirteen years old now. Both her body and her mind had changed considerably since her brother's first and only visit. Of course, one could not control when one's body decided to grow up. However, the teenager had gained considerable knowledge with the help of her tutor, who was the very reason why she was sitting at her desk reading a book at the moment._

_**Knock, knock.**_

_Someone rapped at the door._

"_Come in!" Minako called over her shoulder. She knew who it was even before the door opened to reveal the young woman behind it. "Morning Taya!"_

_The woman addressed appeared to be in her early twenties, dressed in the traditional white garbs that the palace intellectuals wore. And like many of the other Venusians, she possessed golden blonde hair, which was tied up in a bun today, and sparkling blue eyes. The fondness in her expression, which was absent in the earlier maids from Minako's past, was proof itself that Eleutherios had indeed kept his promise._

"_Good morning, Lady Minako." The woman greeted in turn with a smile. She noted the growing stack of books on the nearest corner of the desk. "I see that you have been busy with your studies. Where are you now, hm?"_

"_Mars!" The teen gave a laugh. She turned around in her chair and held the book up for Taya to see. There was a picture of the War God, Ares, standing on a pile of bloody corpses, holding a necklace comprised of human skulls in his grubby fist. No one could overlook the river of crimson blood draining from the dead bodies below him either._

_Her tutor's face went pale._

"_O-Oh… H-How…erm… interesting." She weakly commented. She couldn't recall whether that image was there before or not. More importantly, she was concerned about the mental health of her young charge; for the life of her, she didn't know why Minako wasn't bothered by the image. In fact, she was grinning from ear to ear._

_Wait a second._

"_You don't like blood, do you Taya?" Minako slowly said. Without waiting for a reply, the girl gave the book a few hard shakes and the image had faded away to reveal its original form-- a picture of the Martian capital. There was no maniac War God, pile of corpses, or a river of blood, only the red desert and a bunch of harmless buildings._

_Taya raised an eyebrow at this._

"_Lady Minako…please don't tell me that Sapphro has been teaching you…"_

"_Yup! Wasn't it great?! I got you but good! You should've seen your face, it was priceless!"_

_Taya twitched, feeling her patience already beginning to slip. Great, teaching the child pranks was the last thing she needed._

"_Wait until I get my hands on that…" She started._

"_Taya?"_

"_Hm?"_

"_Don't tell me that you still don't trust Sapphro."_

_There was an awkward silence. Minako's tutor hadn't expected to hear that question from the teen again, not ever since she had been asked about it upon their first meeting. What did she really think of her partner in childcare, Sapphro? As was caught up in her pondering she never noticed the glint of mischief in Minako's eyes, something she should have picked up on right away. Minako HAD changed considerably from the quiet, shy child she was at the beginning._

"_That blue hair of his…" Was all Taya could mutter at the moment._

"_But you know he takes pride in it!" The girl quickly interjected. "It's natural you know?"_

"_Yes, yes, since he was originally from Mercury," Her tutor reluctantly agreed. She had to admit that she was positively aghast when she first met the man; all Venusians took pride in their trademark features. And then Sapphro showed up. She really thought that he was raised in Venus because of his blue eyes (visitors from other planets were virtually non-existent), but that he had dyed his hair blue. It ended up being a terrible misunderstanding and she had reprimanded him for something he could not help, resulting in embarrassment of herself in front of the young Lady. She sighed, the things that Lord Eleutherios brings back from his travels._

_Still, as smart as she thought her partner to be due to his background he has yet to show a shred of it in the __proper__ educational ways to their charge._

"_No, I don't think it's a matter of that quite so much anymore." Taya reluctantly admitted. "It's just… he gets on my nerves sometimes."_

"_Someone call?"_

_Minako's tutor flinched when the familiar voice at the door called. She knew it was him, the flirt._

"_Sapphro!" Minako laughed, and ran up to give her friend a hug. She was always fond of the carefree man, not only for his attitude but also his face; she couldn't remember her brother's face very well, but from what she did remember Sapphro seemed to resemble him very much. At times she wondered if Eros had grown his hair out to look something more like Sapphro's long blue._

"_Hey there kiddo! Long time no see! What have you been up to?" He greeted her warmly. When the teen embraced him he took the extra effort to quickly spin her around for a moment before releasing her gently._

"_Like you wouldn't know!" Taya scolded. Sapphro knew that she had a weak stomach for blood-- how dare he teach Lady Minako to do such a dirty trick? To pull on her no less!_

_**Whack!**_

"_Ow! That was kinda harsh T-muffin." Sapphro complained. His partner had hit him over the head with her clipboard. Normally she was so mild tempered too._

"_Shame on you for teaching the child such things! Lord Eleutherios entrusted us with his little sister's physical and mental well being! Teaching her the proper ways of the court is our duty, not some cheap parlour tricks!" She took a moment to check her watch. "Tsk, and you're late too!"_

"_Yeah… I guess." He shrugged. The fact he was looking so unconcerned right now was really pushing Taya'a patience._

"_You guess?! Do you realize that Minako is thirteen now? The tests could come back any day now!"_

"_That's right..." Both guardians turned their heads towards their distant eyed charge. "My brother said something about that once, too…"_

_Minako had grown up learning about what lay outside the room through her books and her friends' stories. The wonders that existed in the 'outside world' that she saw in her imaginations and dreams: The deserts on Mars and Jupiter, the magnificent ruins on Uranus, Mercury's machinery capital (from Sapphro) and the rivers on Neptune. She wished she could see those places someday, but more importantly she wanted to see her home. Not some toy filled room. Not the same bed and emptiness that she awoke to every day. She wanted to see her actual home, the palace and the gardens, to meet her family and new people. So what if she was the youngest of eight siblings? Why did it have to matter if she had powers or not? The teen cherished Taya and Sapphro dearly, but her heart ached for more. Just to know her mother, the place she was born, was it too much to ask for? It was enough to make the girl sometimes cry herself to sleep at nights. _

_Sapphro's blue eyes fell down to the small bandage on Minako's arm. It had been where the scientist had inserted the needle to draw blood for testing._

"_You really want to see what's outside of this room, don't you Minako?" Her blue-haired guardian questioned. The forlorn expression in his charge's face tugged at his heart, but he had a secret for her-- a very good one that he couldn't wait to tell. "...To see your sisters perhaps? And Lord Eleutherios too?"_

"_Sapphro!" Taya immediately interjected; they had both agreed not to give the girl any false hope. Although, secretly, Taya vowed that if the worst did happen she would not allow the girl to be locked up here for the rest of her life. Sapphro knew how Taya felt as well. The both of them promised each other that they would commit an act of treason if necessary to bring Minako freedom._

"_Yeah, I really do…" Minako sighed longingly._

_A grin suddenly lit Sapphro's features, confusing the heck out of Taya and Minako. The man looked like he was about to dance on the spot with excitement._

"_Sapphro, if you need to use the restroom…" Taya began._

"_Oh, I can't hold it back anymore! The tests have already come back! They're positive Minako! Do you hear me?! Positive!"_

"_What?" Minako blinked. What was this strange feeling growing in her chest? Did she really hear what Sapphro was saying?_

"_Positive? Are you sure?" Taya persisted._

"… _It's true." A kind voice rang out._

_Sapphro's smirk didn't diminish one bit, but Taya and Minako were left speechless. The teen's tutor knew very well of the young woman who stood in the doorway, but Minako didn't have a clue._

"_Oh! Your Highness! This is such an unexpected surprise." Taya bowed, much to Minako's dismay. She never saw her guardian bow her head to anyone before._

'_Who is she…?' Minako thought to herself. Her heart was racing, and she was sure that her cheeks were tinged pink. The woman in the doorway looked so surreal; she stood tall, her long, golden, blonde hair gently cascaded down her shoulders in waves, reflective of the light that lit her entrance with a royal air. It greatly reminded Minako of her brother, when he had stood in that exact place all of those years ago. There was this feeling that she felt between them, a bond of familiarity. And those blue eyes-- they were the prettiest blue eyes that Minako had ever seen. _

_The teen suddenly felt self-conscious. What should she say? Should she bow too? _

"_See? What'd I tell ya? She's so shocked that she's speechless!" Sapphro laughed._

_**Whup!**_

"_Ugh…"_

_Taya had elbowed him into silence. "Be quiet." She hissed._

_The woman at the doorway smiled warmly. There was amusement dancing her blue eyes. "Minako? Please allow me to introduce myself. I am your older sister, Marie. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Eros has told me much about you."_

"_Eros did…?" Minako thought aloud absent-mindedly. She almost had forgotten to introduce herself in the process. "Ah—oops. I-It's nice to meet you too… Marie."_

_The other woman nodded politely to both Sapphro and Taya before stepping forward towards the girl. When the two siblings were an arms-length apart, she offered out her hand._

"_Would you like to meet Mother, Minako?" The girl held her breath. "Because she would very much like to meet you. She's waiting right now. We shouldn't keep her waiting… right?"_

_With her heart pounding in her chest, Minako slowly reached out for Marie's hand. She never thought this day would come. Finally, she would be able to meet her mother._

_They walked like that, hand in hand out the door. Minako was almost blinded by the brightness of it all, but she didn't dare to close her eyes to the sights she was witnessing. The gardens, the statues, and the scenery itself, the real thing was better than she had imagined. However, she still felt greater excitement for what was about to come._

_Allowing her older sister to lead her through the large palace structure, they soon came upon a large, majestically engraved door. Venus's insignia, the girl recognized, was on the door. Could this be it?_

_**Lubb dubb! Lubb dubb! Lubb dubb!**_

_**Creeeeeeeeak.**_

_Minako was trembling by the time the door had fully opened. Even before it had opened to reveal the enormous audience chamber, the girl had felt it. THAT strange bond, but it was so strong- the strongest she had felt it in her entire life._

_Feeling her little sister tremble, Marie gave the younger girl's hand a gentle squeeze. Even Marie, though she had become used to her Mother's presence, still felt the ruler's strong influence._

_As Minako nervously scanned the room she saw many unfamiliar faces gathered around the court. The teen was able to identify the maids and other servants by their uniforms, but there were five other girls, dressed up royal robes, that she had never met before. They all regarded her with hard stares-- the weight of their gazes was incredibly intimidating. However, there was that small bond between them that she couldn't ignore. By now, she had come to realize that this meant that they were her remaining siblings._ _But_ _unlike Marie or Eros, they hardly seemed to care who she was._

_Minako quickly averted her gaze, feeling unfounded shame and guilt for being in such a majestic place. Perhaps she really didn't belong here after all._

"_...Minako." A strong voice beckoned to her._

_The girl hesitated to look at the throne, already guessing what awaited her there. But after so many years of pining and longing, she felt compelled to do so. When she finally looked, she finally laid her eyes on the Goddess Aphrodite, the ruler of Venus. The rumours that she heard about the woman were true. She possessed a mesmerizing beauty: Long, golden hair, which was left unbound and loose, and a finely shaped body that would surely make even the most critical artist weep in worship. She radiated an air of ancient majesty that commanded the attention of all within her presence. The only one who appeared relatively unaffected was her heir, Eros, who stood dutifully at her side. He hadn't seemed to change much over these past seven years. Perhaps he gotten taller and there was some new maturity in his features, but there was still warmth in his blue eyes. The small smile on his face offered more comfort to her than any speech of words could. _

"_Minako, my child, let me see you." Aphrodite called to her again. As the Goddess did so, she rose from her throne-- allowing the pink cloth of her dress touch the red carpet beneath her feet._

_Minako flinched back into Marie's side as the Goddess gracefully descended the row of steps towards them both. How powerful her Mother was-- the girl wasn't sure whether she should be afraid or not. Taya had often praised Aphrodite for being a great ruler, how she was strict, but kind, but now that she finally got to meet her she found it was too much to process all at once._

_When the ruler stopped at a short distance away, Minako curiously peeked out from her sister's side. Her mother was also so very tall._

_Queen Aphrodite appeared to be unfazed by her daughter's apparent lack of trust in her. Rather, in fact, she was feeling mixed emotions of relief and pride-- relief that the tests had come back positive. Now Minako could finally be treated like the royal she was. The woman detested the thought that any of her children should be excluded. And pride--Aphrodite did not recognize it at first, but it was the child's meekness that had caught her attention. Unlike her other children, who had grown up knowing her, grew up being worshipped, many of them had become spoiled. They would all respect her, yes, yet there was hardly any genuine love or attachment to the woman who had born them to this world, to the very positions and power that they took great pride in, or to their own siblings for that matter. Eleutherios and Marie must have noticed it as well, this difference when they met their youngest sister._

_Power can corrupt, can change… The Goddess was well aware that. But could this child, one who was born with hardly any…_

_She wondered…_

_**Sniff-sniffle…sob…**_

_Something suddenly caught Aphrodite's eye. What was this? The child was crying?_

_Marie immediately understood when she met her Mother's eyes. Whispering words of comfort to the younger girl, she gave her sister a comforting pat on the shoulder before gently loosening the girl's grip so that she may step back._

"_It'll be all right…" Marie whispered._

_Minako was startled by the suddenly coldness that enshrouded her when her sister let go of her. But it was immediately replaced by something warmer when a pink garment obscured the girl's vision. Gentle arms wrapped themselves around her, to cradle the crying child with as much love as the Goddess could muster._

_Feeling this, Minako was finally able to let out a choked, "…Mom…"_

"_Shhhh… It's all right. I'm right here…" _

_I expect many great things of you…_

**. . .**

_**Lubb dubb!**_

"_You can just call me Eros."_

_**Lubb dubb!**_

"_Minako? Please allow me to introduce myself. I am your older sister, Marie. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Eros has told me much about you."_

_**Lubb dubb! Lubb dubb!**_

"_Shhhh… It's all right. I'm right here…" _

_**Lubb dubb! Lubb dubb! Lubb dubb!**_

"_It'll be all right…"_

_**Lubb dubb! Lubb dubb! Lubb dubb! Lubb DUBB!**_

"Ah!" Minako woke up to find herself in cold sweat.

The woman's heart pounded in her chest, racing with a sudden uncertainty. _W-Where am I? _The last thing she remembered, she was with her brother and then she was suddenly being escorted away by a pair of guards. She whipped her head around the room, glancing around at all of the familiar surroundings. Despite the dim lighting, her heart knew where she was.

"Oh no…" She mouthed. _This room is--_

**DOOOOOOOM!**

The warmth of the dream had already begun to fade away, leaving Minako alone to face the cold winds of reality once more. The room was cold and empty as she had remembered it to be. Or perhaps, it was worse now: The remembrance of tasting freedom for the first time, the joy that came with it, fuelled her revulsion for this prison. The years of loneliness that had accumulated here-- she could have sworn that, for a second, an abandoned shard of her broken heart was finally returning home. The pain and frustration of her own helplessness hit her all at once.

_Mother…_

Minako could still feel the lingering effects of those gentle arms, how they once held her tight and comforted her when she was a child. It had only been in a dream, but it had felt so real. For that one moment all of her worries of the past and present were forgotten. But now, she was forced to face the bitter truth: Her mother didn't want her anymore. The kind mother who had showered her with love, trust, and guidance over the years had decreed that she should be banished to this forsaken room. How long she would be faced with this miserable isolation?

_Eros…_

Minako clenched the spill of sheets in her fingers. Her older brother, the first person she ever met that she thought would always care for her, now hated her. She could still see how cold his eyes were when he looked at her. It was as if he hardly acknowledged her presence anymore.

_He said that he had other matters to attend to. So, does that mean... that I'm not important anymore? _

His words still deeply stung: _"…You've failed your mission. That is all I have to say to you." _

The woman's lips trembled. The one other comfort in her life, her sister-- tears were threatening to blur her vision now.

_And Marie…She's… she's…_

"Dead…!" Minako choked out.

Her breathing hitched, but she stubbornly fought her body for control. The woman tried to distract herself, and limply looked up to the ceiling where the broken camera stand still remained. Before all else, that had been her light in the darkness. But now, there was no longer any light there; there was no warmth, no light anywhere. She had given it all up for one person. And how did that person respond to her feelings? Yes, Minako remembered it quite clearly; she had been pushed away and rather hard at that. The way she had looked at her. Was Rei now disgusted with her? Was she also, like many, disappointed with her?

A muffled sob escaped her throat when the dam finally broke. Hot tears fell down her face, staining her delicate cheeks as her body became wracked hard with sobs.

_I promised myself that I would be strong, that I wouldn't cry, no matter what happens! But-- but I… I can't… My heart is worthless! I'm…worthless!_

_...Somebody..._

She couldn't think straight. The room was beginning to blur, to go dark…

… _I just want to disappear…_

_**BAM!**_

The room door was violently flung open. Minako hardly flinched at the sound, but through her blurred vision she could see a person at the doorway. They had spotted her. They were running towards her.

"Lady Minako! My Goddess, are you all right?!"

_That voice…_

"Ta…ya?" Minako felt herself quickly swept up into an embrace. She could feel someone trembling more than she was.

_Taya… _The darkness began to slip away from this cursed warmth. Unwillingly, everything slowly came back into sharp focus. The first thing she saw was her tutor looking down at her with a very worried and concerned expression.

"Lady Minako! Please say something! Oh, I knew this wasn't a good idea! What was Her Majesty thinking?!"

Without much thought, Minako absently whispered, "Taya…what happened? M-Marie…" Her guardian froze at the mention of the name, but she was far more perturbed by the strength at which Minako grabbed her with. It was a very strong grip, but there was an underlying power of promise beneath it. The woman could feel that the air around Minako was different, and it was steadily growing stronger.

Minako gripped the sleeve of her tutor's coat as if she were her lifeline.

_It's really her. _

"What happened?!" Minako demanded. The light was quickly returning to her blue eyes, breath to her lungs, and strength to her muscles, only to awaken to feel anger and anguish. "Why is she dead?!"

_Something's changed this girl. _Taya silently contemplated. _Her aura, it's much stronger than it should be!_

"Taya!"

"T-There was a battle..." The other woman replied hesitantly. She wasn't sure how well the younger woman would take the news. A look of grave seriousness had also entered Taya's blue eyes.

"A battle...?" Minako loosened her hold a little, feeling slightly calmer now. Not everyone had abandoned her quite yet. "What battle? Against who?"

"Please, my Lady, now is not the time-"

"Taya." The commanding tone of Minako's voice startled the other woman into silence. "I want to know the truth. Everyone is hiding something from me, I just know it! But they won't tell me what it is... Taya, you're one of my closest friends..."

"No... Lady Minako, please..."

"I don't want you to treat me like I'm still some little kid! Please, Taya. Please tell me what happened to my sister. What's going on around here?"

Her guardian felt her resolve wavering at the determination in Minako's eyes. There was a new level of maturity in them that she hadn't seen there before.

"If I tell you... then you must swear to me that you will not tell your mother that I told you any of this. Do you understand?" She saw Minako slowly nod. Her guardian took a deep breath. "All right... A short while ago, sometime after you left, we had been receiving strange reports that a black mass had appeared outside of Cytherea's city limits. We sent a small scouting party to investigate, and what we found out was that it wasn't a black mass, but rather a gathering of...these, strange black creatures. They almost looked like...how to put it... the shadows of deformed humans, but they were definitely something more monstrous. It was a miracle that the entire scouting party wasn't wiped out. From what the survivors told us, the enemy were like demons. They all possessed dark, red eyes, and were skilful with a dagger."

Minako gasped. She hadn't forgotten her last encounter with the beasts. _It can't be! __Did they follow me here? Wait, no... Taya said that they appeared while I was away. But I thought that they were only after Hotaru, and she's still back on Neptune. So then, why are they here? What are they after...?_

"We have sent a small group of armed soldiers into battle, hoping that they would be more than enough to quell the threat. However, it turned out that we had sorely underestimated the enemy. The entire squad was... slaughtered. After that, many more went into battle with permission from our Queen, your mother. Even as I speak, they are still people out there fighting."

"Taya...?" Her guardian's stern features hadn't changed, but Minako was getting a gut feeling that something was terribly wrong.

"I--I don't know how they're doing it. Apparently, from our scouts' reports, despite our best attempts the enemy is somehow replenishing their numbers…"

_It's only a matter of time until... _The woman paused for a brief moment in thought. She considered not telling Minako this in case it would frighten the girl, but a logical voice in her mind pointed out that her companion was taking this much better than she had anticipated. Minako was patiently waiting for her to continue.

"But... it appears that those monsters may be the least of our concerns…"

"What do you mean?"

"Her Majesty, Aphrodite, has recently confided in me that she senses a large swell of power building outside of our city limits. It has even the Queen worried, my Lady."

"A power that my mother is afraid of…?" _But...I don't remember sensing anything unusual when I arrived..._

"Your sister," Taya began slowly, getting to the heart of the matter, "volunteered as a medical aid when the battle was deemed as a national emergency. She… she died on the battlefield while helping the wounded."

Once again Minako felt her heart being crushed. She had really hoped that Marie was still alive somewhere, that it was all just a big misunderstanding, but it wasn't after all. She was never going to see her beloved sister, alive, ever again. But it was because of that, that it especially bothered her; if their enemy was that powerful then why was her brother going into battle?

"If that's true, then why is Mother sending Eros into battle?! He's her heir, he could die out there!"

"Lord Eleutherios is not going to fight." Taya's looked on sadly as she said this. Minako was confused now.

"But I just saw him! He was wearing armor and everything!" She protested.

"Perhaps the one you saw was not your brother, but Sapphro."

"…S-Sapphro?"

"Yes. But it is true that the people have called on Lord Eleutherios to do battle. They want the heir to lead them, to inspire moral and courage within them. He is their future leader after all… But Sapphro objected to this plan with the very same reasoning that you have just stated, and instead, because he resembled Lord Eleutherios so much, he volunteered himself to go into battle as the prince's double. He cut his hair, and dyed it blonde… and led an army of soldiers out into the battlefield. We still haven't heard any word from them…" Taya bit her bottom lip—she could already feel herself choking up at the thought of the man dying out there, alone.

"No."

"Minako…?"

Minako shook her head. "That wasn't Sapphro that I saw—it was Eros! I'm sure of it!" She insisted with confidence. "I could feel it Taya! His aura, our bond- -it _was_ Eros! You have to believe me!"

The woman looked shocked for a moment. Siblings usually could feel the bond they shared. If what Minako said was true then…

_Is Lord Eleutherios leaving without permission? I must inform Her Majesty immediately!_

"Wait! Where are you going?" Minako cried out when her guardian suddenly stood up. Now that Minako thought about it, why was the woman dressed up in such a strange uniform? It wasn't the white garments that she usually wore; she wore a small, brown jacket that fitted over her white vest. Her white pants had also been traded in for a tighter pair of brown pants, and her slip-ons for boots. For some reason, her outfit greatly resembled something of the military style that Minako had seen on her adventures.

While her guardian maintained her silence, the princess spotted Venus's insignia on the shoulder of her coat.

"Why are you dressed up like that? Y-You hate blood..."

The other woman appeared relatively unfazed by what Minako was implying because it was true.

"Sapphro has already gone into battle… I cannot sit around idly by and watch it all happen before my eyes, and not do a single thing about it! Thus I volunteered to become a tactician."

_No._ Minako froze. "Please don't go Taya! I don't want anything to happen to you too!" She could hardly believe that Sapphro was doing something so dangerous as well.

_**BOOM!**_

"AHHHHH!" Someone cried out.

"What was that?!" Another voice demanded.

The two women peered through the doorway to see that the sky beyond it was a blood red. Something was going on out there, and it was sending the people in the palace into a storm of confusion and chaos.

"What is that…?" Minako quietly mouthed. She had never seen the sky turn that color before.

" I don't know…" Taya answered worriedly. _But it can't be good…_

(Rei)

Rei paced around within a shuttle, occasionally looking out of the window with anticipation. She was brimming with a newfound confidence, and was itching to get on Venus; the first thing she wanted to do was to find Minako and straighten out their misunderstanding that they had on Neptune. But first things first-- she needed to finish her preparations for battle; Ami had already scanned her armor with her computer (newly rebuilt), assuring her that it was in top working condition, and she had gone over the terrain maps with Haruka. None of them had been on Venus before, so it was uncharted territory for everyone involved. As for their numbers, while she had relayed orders to her men on Uranus to stay put Haruka and Makoto had summoned a good number of their troops to battle in their stead. Anything could happen, so it was best not to pool all of their resources at once on the offensive.

_Just a little longer... And then, the real battle will begin. Ares... _Already Rei could see that their shuttle was breaking through the clouds. It wouldn't be long now.

_**BOOM!**_

**PING!**

Rei's stomach lurched at the feeling. It wasn't the racket that nearly gave her a heart attack-- it was those vibes. She was momentarily distracted when she felt the beginnings of the bloodlust begin to stir again. Taking a few deep breaths, Rei pulled out a small, gun-looking machine and pressed the tip against her neck. There was a quick jab and she felt mildly light-headed at first, but to her relief the sensation began to subside. Another useful gift from Ami; she didn't particularly like the idea of shooting strange substances into her body, but it was relatively painless and it would have to do until a cure is found.

She panted for a moment longer. _Ares...!_

That aura was unmistakable to the young woman. She was his heir. She should know better than anyone else who the owner of that aura belonged to.

With a sword in hand, Rei raced out of the room to the bridge. She had to tell everyone.

(Rei, Venus)

As soon as ships had docked, the Inner Alliance's forces charged out of the shuttles. Rei, Haruka and Makoto all grouped together at the front as Jupiter and Uranus soldiers were beginning to line up into their squad positions.

"Shit...!" Haruka growled. It appeared that they had arrived too late; the ground was already littered in corpses upon their arrival, and the ones who were left alive were swinging wildly at their opponents like amateurs in desperation.

"GAAAH!" A soldier cried out. His opponent had slit his throat at the space beneath his helmet. There was heavy silence amongst the Inner Alliance as they watched the man's body crippled to the ground.

"Grr...Why you--!!" The shadow creature turned its sights on them. "Don't bother with your position! Spread out, and kill every last one of them!" Haruka roared. She didn't waste any time and leapt immediately into action.

_You're mine!_

"Uranus Planet Power, Make Up!"

**FOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**

"World…SHAKING!"

**Wham!---**_**Wrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiir----**_**Kablam!**

The creature screeched and practically evaporated in the blast. This small victory prompted the rest of the force into action. All of the soldiers charged off in every direction and began to engage with the enemy.

Rei glanced around and caught Makoto and Ami pair off to her right, while Michiru quickly transformed and moved to catch up with Uranus up ahead. With no other choice left to her, Rei made a sharp turn left and took the remaining side of the field.

_Ares! I have to find him before he gets to Minako! _She desperately thought.

**Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup---skssss….**

Three shadow creatures jumped in her path, forcing the woman to slow in her steps slightly.

"Oh for--- GET OUT OF MY WAY!"

**Slash---CRACKLE!**

They all perished with a single swing of her sword, disappearing in the glow of her red aura. Much of the journey was the same for Rei. She would barely make fifty meters before a new group confronted her.

**Slash---Crackle!**

**Slash---Crackle!**

**Slash---Crackle!**

"Nng! HAAAH!"

_**Crackle!**_

She evaded a dagger to her head, from the side, and was forced back a few steps. She then planted her foot in the ground and stabbed forward with her sword, piercing the creature's midsection and blowing it up from the inside.

_Damn it! They just keep coming! _For some reason, they were being particularly resistant in this area.

As she continued to steadily battle through the black mass, she was beginning to lose sense of her location relative to the others. Somewhere between the kills she could feel her friends' signatures become fainter and fainter as the distance between them widened. They were becoming dangerously separated. Soon, she would no longer be able to detect them in this nightmare of the dead-- secretly, though, it worried them all. It was nothing like they had ever faced before. Their enemy was quick and skilled, not even human for that matter, yes, but in this sickening atmosphere the living's souls were at risk of being dragged down into hell before they had even died. Intimidation, fear-- the false futility of it all-- no matter how many times a soldier slaughtered his enemy it would seemingly be reborn and stronger than before. Soon, one may lose the ability to distinguish a friend from foe and lash out at everyone around them; that is, if they weren't one of the lucky and died first.

Without the bloodlust, Rei could clearly see the insanity that they had sentenced themselves to. This time, the smell of blood only magnified her disgust and it made her stomach knot painfully. She was only human as well. She had to find the War God before her senses become overwhelmed, before she lost his trail.

"Lord Eleutherios, please hang on!"

_Eleutherios? _Rei thought to herself. She fought off another persistent assassin and took the chance to boost her detection spell. In her mind's eye she was briefly able to see a flicker of spiritual energy a distance away to her left. However, it wasn't what she considered a short distance now that her opponents were really pressing her. If she went to investigate, she may not only risk her life but also lose Ares' trail.

Rei evaded another strike and rolled in the direction towards the signature. To her surprise, her opponent's eyes flashed and they all leapt to bar her path.

_What? _Realization dawned on the Martian. _Is there something there that they want me to see?_

"You're all pretty persistent. I'll give you that." Her crimson aura began to flare up. "But you'll need more than that to stop me...! Move aside!"

**CRACKLE!**

She blew a path through her enemies and charged through the gap. They were all chasing her now but she wasn't about to stop and waste any more time. Rei pushed her spiritual sight and locked onto the signature she sensed before. It was fainter than earlier, barely there, and much harder to locate, but she eventually found that she didn't need to. The next step Rei took, she felt a strange sensation rush through her body. Instantly she knew what it was.

_A barrier?! _The monsters behind her collided into the transparent spiritual wall and shrieked in surprise when it burnt them. Rei held her breath as she watched the one closest to her continued to verify the barrier's effectiveness through its stupidity, while the others began to lurk around its outside edges.

Rei flinched when she suddenly felt the signature that she was tracking begin to flicker, but now that she was within the barrier she felt not one but two signatures. The Martian Commander slowly turned her head around and finally spotted the source of it all. There were two men a short distance away from where she stood. For a second, Rei thought she was seeing double but her senses told her that this was not the case. The one who was dying in the other man's arms wasn't human.

"Lord Eleutherios! Oh no. What should I do? The bleeding! It won't stop! This is exactly why you shouldn't have come!" There was a heavy tone of regret in his voice. None of them seemed to have noticed Rei's presence yet. "This is why I went for you! After what happened to Lady Marie...Nng...Did you ever stop to think about your Mother? About how would she feel if you died?! What about Minako?!"

_Minako?! _

"Hey! What did you just say about Minako?!" Rei demanded. Was she already too late? Something in her chest clenched tightly at the thought.

The man gasped upon sighting her. For a moment there was only shock in his blue eyes, but then they turned into hate. Rei recognized that emotion very well.

"You…! What are _you _doing here?! If you're here to finish the job then you'll have to go through me first!" The soldier stepped in front of his dying friend and brandished his sword out in a defensive pose.

Rei did a quick assessment and noted that he was injured as well, though not as severely as his companion. Still, she doubted it would be an easy fight if she were to accept his challenge. The energy barrier around them had to have come from somewhere, and it was surely not from a dying man.

_The barrier...it's his doing. _That meant he had power, and the will to use it. But she didn't fight all the way to here to pick meaningless fights with injured Venusians.

"Put your sword down! I'm not here to fight you."

"That's a lie!"

Rei was somewhat taken aback by the raw emotion in the soldier's voice. He was clearly losing it. Did the people on Venus really carry that kind of hatred for Martians that much?

"...Who is it?" His companion whispered. His eyes closed, but he could still hear.

"It's... It's the heir of Mars. You are, aren't you?"

He stared hard at the shorter woman. She was wearing Martian armor, a model that he had never seen before but it still bore the red paint and Mar's insignia. And her aura; it was slightly different, but he was sure it was nearly identical to the God of War's. Ares, that was forever burnt in his memory from the moment he was unable to protect his Lord.

To his surprise, Rei didn't come out and blatantly deny it.

"So what if I am?"

"Then...I'll kill you." He raised his sword a little higher and slipped into an offensive position. Rei also raised her sword in response, and half-expected an attack when the dying man cried out.

"Wait! Sapphro, please! I-It's all right." Eleutherios gasped. "I had called… for help. Stand down…" To the two fighter's surprise, the prince then motioned for Rei to come closer. The Martian was hesitant at first, but she warily began to step towards him. This greatly bothered Sapphro; he was ready to brush his friend's request off due to some kind of madness, something that he needed to protect him from in his time of need, but that all ended when Eleutherios warned him. "Sapphro." Somewhat hurt, the man finally let Rei pass.

Rei approached the dying man and crouched down. She felt a twinge of pity for the man named Sapphro behind her, but she also wondered how the soldier in front of her could persist so long with his injuries.

"You're not human." It wasn't an accusation, but rather a simple statement.

Eleutherios chuckled. "No, I'm not. But you are." This made Rei twitch inwardly, and sensing her annoyance made him smile more. He liked her already. "So... we finally meet. You're the one... my little sister has been traveling with."

"Your little sister...? Are you talking about Minako?" She took the smile for a yes. "But how did you know something like that? Did she tell you?" There were so many questions going through her mind. Was Minako telling the people at home about their adventures? Did she come to Mars as a spy? Did that mean that he knew about Uranus as well? When he didn't answer, she skipped the subject. "You two were talking about her earlier. Where is she? Is she all right?!"

Eleutherios was gathering his strength to reply when Sapphro stopped him. "Wait, save your strength. I'll tell her."

Sapphro then looked up at the Martian for a moment, analyzing her features. The intensity and determination in her amethyst eyes were something he had expected, but not the worry that accompanied them. If Lord Eleutherios hadn't spoken up for her then he would have struck her down without a second thought. He still would if she were to try anything funny.

"Ares came." Sapphro said, as he tried to keep his voice calm. "He attacked us, and slaughtered many of our troops. Lord Eleutherios...tried to stop him, but he turned out to be stronger than we had anticipated. Even with the both of us fighting together, we couldn't stop him. And now..."

Rei's facial expression had barely changed, but she felt like her blood was boiling. That was all she needed to know. While she was busy, stressing out how to rule _his _planet, he was off ruining people's lives again. Well, that was about to stop.

_When I find him, I'll---_

Rei moved to leave when Eleutherios spoke up.

"Wait. She wasn't...spying on you."

"Huh?"

"My Mother...just knows these things...She knows, about Uranus, as well..." Rei's heart skipped a beat. "Minako…is... being held…in the palace. That, way," The prince coughed violently, hacking up more blood. He knew time was running out, for everyone.

"Lord Eleutherios?"

"Please-- tell her, it doesn't...matter...! My Mother and Minako-sav-"

Rei flinched when he suddenly grabbed her arm. She should have pulled back, but for some reason she couldn't. The way he looked at her-- for a moment, she thought she saw Minako's face-- the one that she hid from her on Neptune.

_Marie has already gone before me, but… I thought at least… I could protect the rest. It looks like... I was wrong._

"Lord Eleutherios! Hold on!"

Eleutherios struggled hard against the cold that was closing in all around him. Death was clutching at him, beckoning him to eternal rest. He didn't want to go. He was afraid of what awaited him there, but he had to. He had made a choice and now, he would accept its consequences. There was only one thing he regretted now…

_**Lubb dubb, Lubb dubb…**_

"…Mi-na-ko…"

_**Lubb dubb…**_

_Please save her._

_**Lubb--**_

His struggles ceased. Rei was left speechless.

"Lord Eleutherios...? Lord Eleutherios!" Sapphro shook the man, hoping he was only catching his breath. "N-No… NO! DAMN IIIIIIIIIIIT!"

As his companion mourned, Rei felt the spiritual energy in the area begin to wane. She gasped.

_...The barrier! _She thought she might have been imagining it, but the barrier was falling down all around them. That was strange. It had begun to disappear the exact moment when—

Rei slowly turned her head at the deceased God. _Even while he was dying, he was holding up a barrier? How? Why...? _She didn't really need to ask it. She knew why. It was the very same reason why his companion was still likely alive now. Sapphro seemed to be aware of the fact, too.

Rei stepped forwards in the direction that the prince had pointed. When she focused hard, she could glimpse a powerful source of energy in the distance. Likely, that was where Aphrodite waited. Finally, the path was clear. The threat was still very imminent. But for some reason, the woman didn't know why she was still standing there and listening to the soldier cry. There was no purpose to it: She was useless at comforting others from experience, just like on Neptune.

Behind her, Sapphro began to stand up. He refused to let the enemy see his tears. "Why are you still here?"

"I'm sorry... for your loss."

"Tch!" Sapphro wiped his face, and sniffed. The pain was still very real, but he knew what he had to do. "Just get out of here. You checked where he pointed, right? You can sense where the palace is."

Rei said nothing for a moment. "The barrier is coming down. Once it's gone, things are going to get dangerous."

"I know. You don't have to tell me that."

"Do you really intend to stay and fight?" She could see the assassins along the outer edges becoming excited.

"Yes."

"But--" Rei was cut off when the man's aura began to flare up. It wasn't orange as she had expected it be. Instead, it was blue.

_He isn't a Venusian!_

**FwoooooOOOOOOOO---!!**

Rei took a few steps back, shielding her eyes as the energy continued to build like a flaming inferno around him. For an instant, even Rei was fooled. In the backdrop of the ghostly pale light, one could mistake him to be the revived, Venusian prince.

Sapphro gathered his energy around the tip of his sword, and raised it above his head.

"You might not understand this... but he was my friend. He was the closest friend I that I had. That's why... I can't just leave him here. But you, you heard what he said. Yah!" Sapphro swung his sword and unleashed a blue wave of power. Rei had almost swung at it, but it ended up passing her right by and destroying a line of black assassins. She looked at the man questioningly.

"That's why, you better save her! Now GO!"

The woman glanced at Eleutherios for a moment. Because of him she might be able to reach Minako in time.

"…Thank you."

Before she knew it, Rei was sprinting towards the palace. _Please hold on Minako! I'm coming!_

After the Martian woman had left, Sapphro braced himself for the struggle of his life. The assassins were all beginning to close in around him.

_Please forgive me, Lord Eleutherios. Please, just this one wish... After this, I swear..._

He brought his sword up as the assassins rushed him.

"...Come ON!"

**

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**Next up HFD, Ch. 17: Venus: Princess**

**Time is ticking down… The royal family has taken refuge within the Audience Chamber, but can they stand a chance against the God of War? And what will Rei do when she finally finds Minako with a change of heart?**

**Rei reluctantly raised her sword and crouched low into a defensive stance. Rei Hino, who had lived with the motto, "nothing in life is guaranteed", found herself thinking, for once in a very long time, that life wasn't fair.**

_**...Minako.**_


	17. Venus: Princess

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own Sailor Moon.**

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**

(Minako)

**Ping…**

Back at the palace, Minako shuddered. _What was that? _The vibe she felt had flickered briefly but her gut instinct was telling her that whatever it was, it wasn't good.

The Venusian Princess nervously glanced over at her guardian, wondering if she had felt the ominous feeling as well. It appeared that she hadn't; Taya's blues eyes were locked on the sky in scrutiny. Unable to do anything else, Minako found her own gaze following in suit.

"I wonder what's causing it." She thought aloud. However, it appeared that her companion didn't hear her. She was lost in her own deep thought.

Minako took a deep breath, and found herself reminiscing the first time she had actually seen the sky. In her memory, it had been a bright day. The sky was blue, and there were light, fluffy clouds in it that had comforted her on many occasions. But now, she hardly recognized it at all. The sky burned a deep shade of red, and it warped so much that she thought she could make out the individual swell of sections. Was this the result of war on Venus? She recalled what Rei once said back on Mars.

"_These flowers grow in paths that almost look like rivers. In a sense, they 'flow' all around the planet. In Martian lore, it is said that they are the souls of fallen warriors because they flourish especially after battle."_

With her eyes still fixated on the sky, Minako had to wonder: _It may not be flowers... but this is still the first time I've ever seen the sky like this. If only you could see it too. _She thought sadly, but it was only a half-hearted wish; if the fiery-tempered woman were on Venus at this moment then she would surely be dragged into another battle that didn't involve her.

_Hah, what are you doing Minako? _The woman shook her head. She felt like she had sunken to a new low. _Your planet thrown into the biggest war in history, and you're still thinking about her! While people are, my people are..._

They were dying. It didn't matter that they had ignored her existence for so long.

_I was supposed to protect them. Isn't that why I went on that stupid mission in the first place? So I could help them? "The wars...will stop." _It seemed like such a naive thought now. _And what did I accomplish? Marie's dead, and Eros, he's out there fighting for his life. No. He's out there fighting for everyone's sakes... _

She hung her head. It didn't matter that he hated her now. He was still her older brother. It all made her wonder: If she had accomplished her mission could this tragedy have been avoided?

"_If only I was stronger..."_

"_If only I was just a bit braver..." _

She had thought that way once. Now, she wasn't quite so sure. But as tired as Minako was and as heavy as her heart felt, somewhere inside the gloomy darkness there was a stubborn spark that refused to go out.

**BOOOM!**

"AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

"W-What's going on?!"

The sky overhead roared and the ground rumbled. Suddenly, there were people everywhere-- the servants were abandoning their posts in droves. Screams and shouts filled the air as the palace guard rushed out into the courtyard and pointed to the sky at the source of it all. Up in the sky, above the palace, a dark, spiralling shadow had appeared. Nothing had emerged since its manifestation, but the ground was beginning to quake more frequently now.

"What is that?" Minako breathed. Her attention was quickly drawn back to the sounds of a nearby quarrel. The soldiers were becoming swept up in the panic.

"What the Goddess?! No way! Your plan is too risky!"

"Hey! At least it's better than yours!"

"Psh, you're both just amateurs. You should let someone more experience lead."

"Oh really? You might talk big, but I heard you only started a week before me! You're just an amateur too!"

"What was that--"

"Hey!"

**Ping…**

_They're arguing?!_

"Oh no, what are they doing bickering at a time like this?!" Taya had a good enough mind to march up to them and set them straight. But first, she needed to make sure Minako would be safe. She turned to her former charge. "Minako-- I hate to tell you this, but could you please stay here until--" Her words died off in the wake of her surprise. The air around the princess was humming? "...Minako?"

_What are they doing? Can't they all see how useless it is to be arguing with one another at a time like this?! _She watched one of the taller men push a smaller soldier; three others immediately jumped in, while the others tried to suppress the shoving match before it got out of hand. _Why isn't anyone doing anything? Where are my sisters? ...My mother?! If the ruler won't lead the people then who else can? Eros can't do it all by himself!_

_**Lubb dubb!**_

Eros-- if he were here, she would bet her playing cards that he'd be just as disappointed in them as she was. Compared to the soldiers from Mars, Uranus and Jupiter, their soldiers were a disgrace.

_This is just ridiculous! _The spark inside flickered again, and this time it transformed into a flame that was steadily gaining momentum. The air around Minako was becoming dense, and the humming had faded out into a low vibration. For a moment, the Venusian Princess stood there and felt her power coarse through her for the first time since she landed. Suddenly, it was all clear now. She finally understood what Taya was trying to tell her earlier.

_So...that's why. _Perhaps after returning home so abruptly, she had reverted back to her previous way of thinking. She had been absorbed in self-pity and disappointment in her own failure to think about anything else. _Taya and the others... Marie, Sapphro, and Eros...they didn't have to fight, but they chose to. Despite the risks they did it, because they thought it was the right thing to do._

The thought struck a familiar chord within the young woman. Despite her heritage, Minako did not feel shame but immense pride. And the flame inside shone brighter with the emotion. Perhaps, that is also why she couldn't let go of the past.

_Rei is the same. If she were here, she wouldn't stand around. _Minako told herself. Knowing the stubborn woman, the Martian would have stormed into battle without a moment's hesitation. _She always did what she had to do, for herself and her friends. Maybe, that's what I admired so much about her… that strength and dedication of hers… _

It didn't matter if that dedication didn't include her.

_That's why—while everyone has been doing everything they can, I've been sitting in here sulking! It's not right!_

"Minako?!" Her guardian was startled when the Princess abruptly stood up from the bed. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the bed sheets drift side to side as if there were a breeze in the room.

_Wind...? _Her tutor thought. _But that can't be! There are no windows in this room. Then that means, it can only be possible... if it's generated from the inside?_ Her blue eyes widened.

Minako began to step forwards towards the door where the older woman stood.

_I can't wallow in here like a child anymore. I have to do something! _And she knew just how.

"Minako, wait. What do you think you're doing?" Her tutor was becoming increasingly concerned by the girl's awkward behaviour. Why was she acting so calm? As she continued to watch the silent royal, she perceived something strange in the air that made her want to rub her eyes in disbelief. If her eyes weren't playing tricks on her, the air around the princess was definitely fluctuating. It was vibrating.

_What? A-Am I seeing things? The air around her couldn't possibly be… but, but it is! It's really vibrating! How can that be possible? _Taya questioned. She recalled the rare occasions when she saw such an effect amongst the other members of the royal family. _Among the younger siblings of the eight, it was an intermediate stage right before their true powers manifested. The individuals who inherited less Godly powers took longer to summon their spiritual energy. But...everyone thought that Minako had barely inherited any power at all! She shouldn't even be capable of this much, and yet I'm seeing it with my very own, two eyes_. _ How could this happen? If she wasn't born with the potential, then did her powers somehow increase since she's left home? Wait, increase...? _No, that didn't quite make sense. _Is there even such a thing as an individual surpassing their natural born limits? Regardless of the cause, Minako was only positive for traces of the power; she shouldn't be strong enough to materialize this much! For not even Queen Aphrodite's sixth child could display such a feat!_

Taya stood rigid in the doorway as her student's face finally came into light. Minako's blue eyes were blazing with a new emotion now—determination. The long time advisor hadn't seen such strong willed eyes in the royal family since Lord Eleutherios and Marie, or, for that matter, since the Queen herself. Taking all matters into careful consideration the tactician wasn't sure what to make of her Lady's intentions. Surely Minako wasn't suggesting that she would...

"I'm going to ask you this one more time. Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm sorry Taya... But I can't stay here."

Her tutor immediately dashed forward and gripped down on her shoulders. "Don't--take another step. Please! Listen to me Minako, I had intended to take you far away from here before the battle escalated any further, but now, the situation has changed. You would be much safer if you stayed in here. It's just too dangerous out there!"

For a moment, Minako was speechless. "You really think I'd be safer here."

_You just want to protect me..._

There was an unfamiliar tone bordering her voice. It was Minako, and yet the older woman swore she was speaking to a different person entirely. Unknown to her, Minako hadn't used such a tone since her experience on Uranus.

"Thank you. But...I'm sorry, Taya, I just can't sit around and do nothing."

"Please my Lady, don't do this!" The tactician was about to say more to persuade her charge otherwise, but she found herself speechless when an invisible force began to gently pry her hands off of the Venusian Princess. She was in shock, yet she instantly knew that it was Minako's doing.

"You see, I made a promise…" Minako quietly whispered. "...That I would become stronger."

_I'll become strong enough that I won't always need to be protected!_

**FOOOOOOSH!**

With that, a warm gust of air blazed up around Minako. Her tutor stumbled back in surprise and covered her face with her arms. The wind was so powerful; it was a wonder that she wasn't blown right off her feet. Through the element she helpless watched as her student walked past her without any further inference.

"Minak--"

**Tup. Tup. Tup. Tup.**

Minako strode out of the room and into the outdoors. She knew exactly what she needed to address first-- the group of bickering soldiers. In a sense she felt very disappointed that her people were this poorly disciplined.

_The people that I met on Uranus... they never lost sight of what was important to them. That's why they fought so hard, despite the odds that were against them. But these men..._

"Stop this at once!" She called to them in a commanding tone. She didn't make any effort to hide the annoyance in her voice. "Stop bickering like foolish children!"

The group of men immediately shut up just to see who was reprimanding them. That voice didn't sound like Lord Eleutherios.

"A girl…?" One of them blinked back in surprise. He had been insulted yet he could only stutter back in shock. There was something strange about her that greatly reminded him about their prince. Although he could not see the pressurized air around her, his gaze was drawn to her eyes.

"You there, will you please report the situation." Minako commanded a nearby soldier. The man momentarily exchanged glances to his fellow comrades, wondering if he had heard correctly. Was this woman trying to boss them around?

"Excuse me, miss... but I think it would be best if you headed back indoors now. I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but there is a war going on."

Minako raised an eyebrow at this. "And leave everything to you I suppose? I'm sure that bickering and squabbling amongst yourselves will get you quite far."

"W-Well, that isn't our fault! Most of us are still new at this! We never expected a war to happen out of the blue!" The soldier shot back indignantly. "And who knows where the Captain went...? If he wasn't gone this long we wouldn't be--"

"Shss! You idiot! Don't tell a civilian that!" One of his friends hissed and elbowed him.

Minako ignored the gesture. She wasn't about to be dragged into their argument. They were running out of time as it was.

"Tell me, why are you fighting?"

"Umm, what...?"

She scanned the faces, and was satisfied that she now had their undivided attention. Without any hint of hesitation, Minako stepped forward and watched them all nervously part to the side to make room for her.

"This goes for all of you!" Her voice was the only one speaking. "Why are you fighting? Did you become a soldier to protect your family and friends? Your home...? For... pride?! Or did you join because of the Prince of Venus, 'Lord Eleutherios'?" She paused. "Or could it be... that while everything was falling apart all around you, you thought that, as a royal guard, there was something that only you could do?" From the nervous expressions on the guards' faces, Minako knew she was hitting it close. "Well, wanting to protect something and actually doing it are two different things! The way you're all so disorganized right now is pitiful! You can't help anyone the way you are now! So, I will only ask you this one more time... will you please report the situation to me?"

Minako patiently waited for their response. From what she could tell, there was a majority of indecisiveness but no definite 'nays'.

Meanwhile the soldiers contemplated over the woman's words. They all had their different reasons for joining. However, regardless how long it all took everyone, and despite their earlier disputes, they all arrived at the same sentiment: Right now, they felt inferior. A stranger that they've never met before, though she was a woman, knew exactly what was in their hearts that none of them dared to say. It was unnerving, terrifying, actually, when they remembered how lost they were within that moment of chaos. There were all still relatively new and inexperienced. Instead of trying to work things out, they tried to pin the blame of the group's lack of productivity and inefficiency on individuals. That was where the shame quickly seeped in; fingers pointing in accusation, shoving those who were smaller than you, and the strings of harsh words that they would have never said to one another in any other situation; they were nothing but a bunch of lost sheep ready to turn into cannibal wolves.

A shadow behind the woman caught one soldier's eye. When he turned to gaze up at it he felt himself become frozen to the spot in fear and awe. Behind the stranger he could see Lord Eleutherios staring back at them, smiling just as he had before they saw him off earlier.

_Lord Eleutherios is with her? But, how can that be? He already departed for battle—Ah! Could...could it be, that... Lord Eleutherios has possibly? _The man felt sorrow pierce his heart at seeing the compelling truth. All his comrades couldn't deny it; she was no ordinary woman. Between Lord Eleutherios and the stranger, the determination and confidence in their eyes were the identical.

Having made his decision the man gathered his courage and gestured in salute.

"H-Her Majesty, Queen Aphrodite, and her daughters have taken shelter within the Audience Chamber. What soldiers are left on the palace grounds are what you see here... ma'am."

"I see." Minako took the information into special consideration. "Then we'll--"

_**BOOM!**_

_**Rmm…rmm…rmm..**_

The moment was interrupted when a loud explosion rang in the air. The entire grounds shook harder this time, once again sending a surge of panic throughout everyone. Even Minako had felt it this time-- an undeniably, powerful signature had arrived. Its pressure was heavier, and greater than she had ever felt before.

_Rei?! _But that couldn't be. The Martian Commander couldn't possibly possess that level of power. Only a God--

"No." Minako softly gasped. The stories that she had heard on Neptune came rushing back.

_It can't be Ares, can it?!_ Minako focused hard for a moment and picked up a growing number of foreign signatures in the area. The enemy had somehow breached the front lines and were closing in fast.

_They're coming!_

The soldiers all looked to her with fear and uncertainty in their eyes. Seeing this, Minako reminded herself of her position and immediately wiped away any doubt on her features; a true leader, as she learned by watching her friends, should not show their own weakness to their soldiers.

"Give me a sword," She ordered a nearby man. This time, he gave her what she had requested without hesitation. _Okay, __next…_ "I want the six of you to patrol the grounds for intruders. As you may already be aware of, our enemies are not human, but monsters." She heard people mutter all around her. "They're small and they look like shadows. Physical attacks are ineffective against them, so be prepared to use spells. If you see one, don't hesitate to eliminate it! I am warning all of you, now, that they are lethally quick and nimble in their movements. Do you understand, or do I need to repeat that for any of you?"

"No! W-We understand! Understood! ...Sir!"

Minako then pointed to a group of five. "As for you five, I want you to search the grounds and evacuate everyone within the vicinity. This area will shortly become the battlefield, so be sure to stay alert! Think you can handle it?"

"Ma'a—Sir!"

"And finally, you three... I'm going to leave the choice up to you. You may join up with any of the two parties I have just specified, or you may come with me. I will be going to the Audience Chamber to guard the royal family. If the enemy is after them, then they will surely strike there first."

"Excuse me, Sir. But I have a question." One of the three men asked.

"Yes?"

"Why are you giving us a choice in the matter? Are you doing it because you don't think we're adequate for the job?"

Minako thought about it carefully. She surprised the man when she told him, "I don't recall saying anything of the sort."

"Huh? But, you just said-"

She held up her hand and silenced him.

"You have never seen what these things are capable of, but _I _have. And I can tell you this... they will kill you without a moment's hesitation if given the chance." The man's stubbornness wavered. "What I am saying is that regardless of your choice, there will always be some degree of danger. That just comes with your position. However, this particular mission is the most dangerous out of the three. That's why... I'm leaving it up to you to decide whether or not you think you're qualified."

"...I see. But what if none of us decides to go? You just said it yourself that it was dangerous. Would you go alone?"

"Yes."

Her firm response caught them all off guard.

The remaining three men exchanged glances, as if searching for a sign of commitment. If they chose to go along with this, there was a chance that some of them wouldn't make it back alive. It would be all over: They would never see their friends or families ever again. However, as the woman had just mentioned, even if they didn't go, there was always the risk of running into the enemy in the battlefield. Why had they joined the royal guard in the first place?

It was the man's turn to surprise her. "Point taken. I'm going, Captain" he said.

"Me too!"

"Yeah, same! Don't leave me out!"

Minako hid her surprise. "I can't guarantee any of your safety."

"We understand that," A different man answered. "But... do you know why I joined the royal guard? It was so I could protect my home. I can't be a coward now!"

"Same!"

Taya continued to watch the scene unfold from within the room, and was in awe when the three groups of soldiers were dismissed. She couldn't believe that they listened to Minako. From the looks of it, none of them had recognized the Princess. How could they trust a total stranger?

The Princess's tutor pondered over the thought for a moment. It all seemed so unreal, so unpredictable, so—Minako.

_Heh, of course. The answer is so simple. Minako… has just, really grown. _That was all to it she concluded. Her young charge had decided to find her freedom, herself.

_But...this also means that she's now beyond my reach. Whatever choice Minako makes now will be at her own risk. What she chooses to do, the path she chooses to follow, there will be consequences and some of them won't be pretty. But, I suppose... life, wouldn't be worth living if it were any other way..._

_Goddess, help us all.  
_  
Taya then stepped towards the open door. After hearing the soldier's plans, she would search the grounds and evacuate the remaining staff independently. Until her skills were needed, as Minako had only demonstrated, she would do what she could for now.

(Outside entrance, The Audience Chamber)

**Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup-----tup.**

_**Lubb Dubb!**_

_**DOOOOOOOM!**_

Minako brought her group to a halt just outside the large, double doors. The group of four made it to their final destination without a single enemy encounter, which was suspicious as far as their leader was concerned.

Minako glanced back at the men behind her. They appeared to be slightly out of breath, but they were quickly recovering. She then peered up at the red sky overhead-- the shadow was still there, but there hadn't been any noticeable changes to it.

_It's still there... But that power that I felt earlier has gotten weaker. What does it all mean? Have we arrived early?_

The woman diverted her attention to the large doors and began to examine it with a critical eye. She couldn't be sure, but it appeared to be shut tight.

_I-It's still closed. _She felt the ridges of the middle in disbelief. The discovery should have brought her some relief, but it instead added to the woman's inner turmoil. Although her subordinates could not see it, for a moment there was pain in her eyes.

_This is it. This is really the entrance to the Audience Chamber. Behind this door is my family. My sisters, who never paid any attention to me...and, my mother, who doesn't even want to see me. They all took shelter here, leaving me behind. What would they say when they see me? _

Minako gripped the heavy sword in her hand a bit tighter, not realizing that she was only holding it with a single hand this time.

_No. I've already come this far. I can't back out now!_

"I'm going to ask all of you one more time. Are you sure you are ready for this?" She, again, questioned her team. "Because once we go in, there's no backing out."

And, again, she received the same answer. "We're ready when you are!"

It hadn't been an undying pledge of loyalty, but it was all that Minako needed to hear; she had their support.

_It feels almost a little like, Uranus. This nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach, it's like when I was about to lead a squad for the first time. Except, this time, instead of it being with Uranus's unit two... they are people from my home. My people... Even though it's a small number, they trust me. _

She had told them that they were going do battle with an enemy that an army, alone, couldn't entirely prevent from reaching their doorstep. It was a battle where they knew they might be obliterated, especially with their small numbers. But still, they were here with her. If anything should happen, she was going to remember this one feeling: Pride.

Minako felt herself smile. "All right..." With a shaky hand, she reached up towards the door and pushed it with all her might.

"Then here we go!"

_**Creeeeeeeeak.**_

**Tup, tup, tup, tup…**

(Audience Chamber, Inside)

The room was pitch-dark. They hadn't expected that. Minako scanned down the center aisle as far as the light would allow; she then tried a shot at a detection spell, but, to her frustration, she sensed nothing.

_...Nothing. Maybe that's what they meant on Neptune. Maybe my range is too short. _They had no choice to but to proceed with caution.

Minako shot a warning look to her team, and watched them all nod back in understanding before she waved for them to follow her. That was how they moved together; Minako took the lead in the front and tip-toed the group towards the nearest wall. As they groped their way towards the other end of the room, the other three watched the team's back and side. Soon, their predicament began to gnaw at their nerves. They were all on high alert, listening and watching for the slightest movement, which was made harder by the dim lighting, and they could only venture a few steps at a time due to poor visual conditions; it was so dark that none of them could make much out than a few meters in front of them.

_Something isn't right...! It's so cold! _Minako shivered. It was never this cold when her mother was here.

They were about halfway through the room now, and still there was no sign of anyone. Minako was really beginning to think that her family wasn't here.

_We've made quite a bit of progress, but I still don't sense anything. Could they have gone into the Queen's Chamber?_

Only known to the members of royal family and their servants, there was a hidden chamber behind the audience chamber that was called the Queen's Chamber. Minako had never been back there herself, but, after some thought, it would make sense if that was the case. Her family would be far safer if they had hid there.

_**Ssss...**_

She heard a sound to her left and activated the detection spell. Her spiritual vision was once against met by darkness, and there were no signatures in sight.

_Could it have been my imagination? _She toned down the spell, but remained in place for a few more seconds. Although her spell was telling her that things were all right, her gut instinct was telling her that something was wrong.

_The shadows…_ _It almost feels like they're closing in on us. __It would be a huge disadvantage for us if we had to fight in the dark. We should pick up the pace._

Minako waved to the men over her shoulder and they all increased their pace forward.

**Tup. Tup. Tup. Tup-thud.**

"Oof! What the--" One of the soldiers cried out.

"What is it?!" Minako hissed.

"T-There's something on the floor!"

"Something on the floor...?" _Did he hit a piece of furniture? _She wondered. _But we're right by the walls, and I don't remember hitting anything..._

"What are you talking about?" One of his friends asked in a low voice. He walked over to where his comrade was and bent low to the floor. "I think you're imagination has gone a bit too far this time. I don't see anythin--" His hand hit something hard, and he suddenly went quiet.

"Ah…Oh…" The first man began to stumble back. He was clearly agitated about something, but the remaining party members didn't understand what the fuss was about. They could barely make out his shadow never mind what was at his feet.

Suddenly, Minako was getting a bad feeling.

"Oh, for Goddess's sake, just say it!" The soldier beside Minako growled. He just wanted to get out of here already.

"It's a… it's a bo--bod!"

_A body! _

"What did you just say?!"

The soldier was unable to finish the sentence when the doors to the audience chamber abruptly swung shut with a deafening noise.

**BAM!**

**Ping!**

Minako barely just saw the pair of red eyes behind him before she cried, "Look out!"

"Huh---?"

_**Stab!**_

"AHHHHHHH!"

"W-What the?!"

"Daniel?!"

Before any of the others could be affected, Minako shot out a stream of pressured air in the direction of the eyes.

**WOOOOSH!**

"SKRRREE!!!"

**Shroom!**

The man nearest to him crawled over to him and pulled him up. "D-Daniel! Are you all right? C'mon, answer me!"

"..."

"Daniel!" The man shook the body, but he still received no response. Minako knew instantly that it was already a lost cause.

"Forget about him!" The remaining of the pair shouted. He had already drawn his sword. "You should worry about yourself! If the Captain hadn't killed it when she did, then it could have gotten you too--" He slowly turned to Minako and then realized something.

_Wait a minute, how could she hit that thing from back there? There's no way anyone could hit a target at that distance with a sword!_

Awkward, he asked. "D-Did you see what it was?"

There was more scuffling heard somewhere in the room. Minako didn't see it, but she was positive that she knew what it was and that they were all in grave danger.

"There's no time to talk! It's the enemy! You two-- hug the wall and climb your way up! Head towards the back chamber, I'll try to hold them off!" She ordered.

"S-Sir!" _Who is she really?_ "C'mon, stop sitting there! Let's go!"

After some effort, the man was able to drag his friend up and together they made a break for the Queen's Chamber. Minako stood her ground as their signatures faded from her detection, and furrowed her brow in concentration as the noises began to close in around her.

_That's strange. I can't sense them anymore but I can still hear their footsteps. Could it be—_ She gasped. _Is something blocking my spell?!_

The enemy continued to close in all around her. One by one, their signatures stepped into range. She could clearly make out their eyes now. They were circling her.

Minako nervously widened her stance a bit and raised her sword up. If she thought they were scary on Neptune, it was worse being in a dark room with them. She could feel the weight of numerous, intent stares on her.

_I almost wish that you were here right now Rei…_ _If you were here, what would you do? _She thought for a moment as the sounds of unsheathing metal rang through the air. They were going to attack soon.

'_Firstly…'_ A voice within Minako called. She could already see the raven-haired woman's face appearing in her mind's eye, looking at her an annoyed expression. _'What's the biggest problem here?'_

_My biggest problem...? _The blonde contemplated._ Well...It's not the creatures that I'm exactly worried about. It's just that I can't see! My detection spell is next to useless in here! _As she braced herself, it hit her. _Ah. Or maybe... that's what's holding me back. _ _Maybe I've been looking at this the wrong way! _

The answer was so simple, why hadn't she thought of it before? She had seen many of the others do it many times before.

_Whenever any of them use their powers, they give off a flash of light! But... can I really do something like that? The doctors said that kind of materialization was beyond my capability! _Realizing what she had just thought, she shook her head. _No! I can't think like that! I've already gotten this far. So—I've just got to try!_

Minako bit her bottom lip, closed her eyes and concentrated. There was no guarantee that she'd make anything but hot air, but it was still her best shot.

**…****Ping…**

**Fooooooooooooooooosh---**

The air around her blew up. Her enemies momentarily froze in their advancement and narrowed their eyes warily at this display.

_A little more…_

**FooooooooosssssSSSssssSSSssssSSSSssSS—**

The nearby furniture began to rattle; a vase had fallen off of its pedestal and smashed into pieces on the floor.

_I can do this! Come on, come on!_

_**SssssSSSSSSSS---**_

"HaaAAAAAAAAAH!" _Come ON!_

**SSSS--FOOO-------**_**OOOOOOOOSH**_**!!!**

An orange spark lit the air around her, spreading through the rest of the medium like wildfire. Minako's eyes shot open; the glow that surrounded her wasn't particularly radiant, but it was enough--she could now see the creatures within three meters of herself.

_I see them now!_

Unhesitatingly, Minako lunged forward and swung at the nearest creature. "Hah!" It was struck down before it could even raise its dagger in self-defence.

_**SLASH!**_

"Craaaar!"

**Shroom!**

The remaining three creatures all leapt away from the sword-wielding woman in an attempt to create distance. However, Minako wasn't about to let them get away. The Venusian royal powered up the detection spell again, but, to her surprise, this time she could see a rough map of the room in her spiritual gaze; she could make out the faint outlines of most of the structures in the area, especially the nearby row of columns that supported the roof

Minako heard a sound to her right and whipped her head towards the corner. The signature was moving quickly.

_Over there! _Minako made a beeline for the assassin, and swung her sword at it with everything she had. The monster glared back at her and dodged the first few strikes, before it shot forward as well. Minako blocked the dagger and heard the scratching of metal in her ear. It then did something she didn't expect; the thing tried punching her.

Minako's aura reacted instinctively and knocked it straight over her head. She turned with the movement and swung hard sideways at its mid-section. The creature brought its dagger up and tapped at it, but Minako noted that her attack had knocked it back by a few steps. She then switched angles and brought her sword down in a diagonal slash. "Yah!" The assassin, predictably, retreated in the direction of her attack. Minako then pressed it further, forcing it to block and step back with her unrelenting advance.

"Hah! Hah! Hah!"

_**Tinz! Ting! Wham!  
Tup!**_

_That's it, back up a little further---a little further—just a bit more--!_

_**WHAM!**_

**Thud!**

"Crrraaa?" Its back hit one of the columns.

**SLASH!**

"CRAAAA!"

**Shroom!**

Minako panted hard for breath. After expending all of that effort to shine a little light, she felt a little more than exhausted from the sudden activity. But she knew her task was still far from over.

_That's one down. Two more go…! Huff, huff… Now, where are--_

A quick movement caught her eye. Minako screamed when something grabbed her hair and yanked back, hard. The woman was thrown back first against a column and was forced flush against it. Her sword clattered to the ground. Squinting through one eye, she gasped for breath as she struggled against her captor's strong hold-- it had lapped a chunk of her hair across her neck and pulled it tight around the column. She was being strangled. In its other hand, on the other side of her head, it raised its dagger.

Minako felt around to the black hand that was holding her hair and then called up a bolt of power. The golden light forced its hold loose; however, she caught the glint of metal a second too late.

_**Slash---**_

"Ahhhh!" The blow intended for her throat ripped down her sword arm. In a rush of anger, she blindly threw out another bolt of her power and, luckily, made a glancing blow. The assassin somersaulted back into the darkness.

Minako felt her throat, taking a few deep breaths, and then cupped her hand over the bloody gash. She was partially in shock; there was a lot of blood and the wound didn't just burn, but her arm becoming numb due to the pressurized air that was pushing against it.

She sensed the signature circling around and coming back in at an alarming rate. The same creature suddenly broke through the darkness and flung itself at her. Forgetting about the pain, Minako dove to the ground, missing the blade, and grabbed for her sword. The assassin followed after her, but was met by another weak bolt. It spun away from it and dove down at the woman, where Minako was waiting for it.

_**Slash—Tinz!**_

Minako winced as she threw her sword up with both hands and sent her opponent a short distance back. The wound on her arm had stopped bleeding by now, but she was too preoccupied to notice. She saw the greatly annoyed assassin growl at her. To its side, the other remaining assassin stepped forward as well.

_My Goddess that was so close!_ …_Uh-oh, c'mon legs, move, move, move!_

_**Slash—Tinz! Slash---Tinz!  
Slash---Tinz!  
Slash---Tinz! Slash---Ti-----iiinz! Slash---TINZ!**_

**Thud.**

"Eh?" Minako felt her back hit something solid. Instantly she knew it was another one column (she definitely hadn't seen THAT while she was fending off two opponents at once). Beside her, she noted a vase standing just out of reach at the side. Thinking she could use it to buy some time, she threw out a stream of air at it but in her excitement she accidentally stabbed it and shattered it herself.

"Ah-!" Her blue eyes flicked back to the charging beasts as they both leapt up into the air at once, weapons posed for vertical attacks. Minako instinctively ducked around the column and narrowly evaded the dual strike.

_**Slash-Slash ---Whomp!**_

Instead of slicing and dicing their target as planned, the shadow assassins felt their blades become stuck in the marble. In frustration the creatures immediately set out to free themselves from the nuisance of a pillar. As they were preoccupied, Minako wasn't about to sit around and watch. Lady Luck was truly smiling upon her for giving her this opportunity, and all it required was the finish.

She had to work quickly.

Ignoring the pain in her injured arm, she brought her other hand up to her sword again and steadied herself. The orange aura surrounding her arms and legs traveled through her body and transferred itself to the blade as its sole medium. She was going to bet everything on this one last shot, and Goddess be damned if she was going to let a minor thing such a punishment stop her.

_I hope this'll be enough! Here goes! _She lunged forward and swung the glowing blade hard at the pillar.

_**SLASH—slice, sliiiiiiiide---**_

The attack cut directly through the marble and the assassins. "CRRRRAAAAA!" Both creatures cried out in their demise.

**Shroooom! Shroooom!**

"…Huff, huff… huff…"

_**Clatter**_

"I--I did it..." Minako dropped her sword, freeing herself momentarily of its heavy weight. NOW she felt worn out. But at the same time she was secretly in awe with herself. "I really did it." She found the energy to weakly smile. When she first started, this sort of fighting would have turned her muscles into jelly. But now, she had some stamina and some new power to boot.

_I'm really getting stronger. _

_**Throb.**_

The woman winced when her arm suddenly throbbed. _Ouch...It still hurts! Well, I guess that's what I get for being so careless. Rei would probably have a stroke if she knew. _Minako could see a mini-version of the Martian going off into a rant. She would be waving her arms, going 'RAWR!!! I told you to be more careful! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!'

_I was lucky... But, some others weren't. _She then remembered the soldier of the three who went down at the start of the battle.

Minako reached out for her sword. With some concentration, she gathered the fragments of her power left in the sword and created a small glow of light at its tip. With it, she went to search for the man. She found him quickly; he was lying on the floor just up ahead. Minako had seen many corpses before, but this one was especially gruesome because she had actually known him-- even if it was only for a short time.

"I'm sorry," She found herself saying. Even though she had warned him that she couldn't guarantee his safety, it still bothered her.

A strange shape on the floor beside him caught her eye. _What's that? _"Wait a minute... didn't he say he tripped over something before--"

Minako gulped, and then shone the light over in that direction. She was startled when she saw a hand. The person was wearing a dress. Minako's heart was really pounding in her chest now. Nervously, she shone the light a little higher and screamed when she saw their face.

"A_hhhh!!!!!_"

_**FWOOOOOOOOSH!**_

_**Rmm...Rmm...Rmm...**_

She was startled when the room suddenly shook. Behind the throne where the Queen's Chamber was hidden, a crimson red light was pouring out. It was so bright that Minako had to cover her eyes with her hands to prevent herself becoming temporary blinded by its intensity. While down at her feet, the light illuminated the source of her distress. It was one of her sisters. It was no wonder why the soldier had been so shocked.

_W-What's going on?! _

"GAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"AHHHHHHHH!"

_Oh no! The men! _

Minako hastily snatched up her sword and bolted for the chamber. She was still badly startled, but the safety of her team was at risk.

**Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!**

"Hah! Hah! Hah! Hah! Hah!"

As she rounded the corner and came face to face with the hidden chamber entrance, a hot gust of air barrelled out and forced the woman to hesitate in her advance. But this time she wasn't going to look away. Instead, through the spread fingers of her hand, she stared stubbornly inside of the room and gasped at what she saw. _Fire?!_ It was filled with a red, spiralling mist that howled with an inferno's ferocity.

_It's so hot! Something's burning...! _She squinted hard and tried to detect her soldiers' signatures, but her spiritual sight was being repelled by the red wall. The woman stumbled back at the setback, somewhat startled. It was only for a moment that she felt its power, but the contact had terrified her; every bone in her body was telling her to run, but she stubbornly held her ground.

_C-Come on Minako, be brave! There are people relying on you! _She told herself."Erg…!" The blonde fought the wind, and brought her arm down from her face and held her weapon with both hands. She had to act before the strength of the wind would shove her away completely.

Pooling her energy back into the blade of her sword, she took another swing at the mist.

"Haaa-AAAAHH!"

_**Slash---**_

A portion of the woman's power flew off the tip of her blade into the inferno, and was consumed.

"What?! I-It didn't work?!" She stepped back. She had seen Haruka do it many times before, so why wouldn't it work now?

Minako didn't need to wait long before the fire took things into its own matters. In a matter of seconds, a definite 'thud' could be heard somewhere in the distance and the entire area was again engulfed in red light. A maniacal laugh echoed from inside.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Minako thought her heart had stopped.

_**Rmm Rmm Rmm**_

…_No… don't tell me…_

_**FWOOOOOSH!**_

"!"

The heat and fire were suddenly gone, gone in an instant that the Venusian had looked away. But why had it left?

Wordlessly, Minako stared upon the scene. She had been wrong. Her Mother and sisters had taken shelter in the Queen's Chamber. And the two soldiers that she had ordered to go on ahead had also successfully found the royal family. However, in the end, none of them...

_**Lubb dubb! Lubb dubb! Lubb dubb!**_

"…Huh…Uh-uh…" Minako's knees buckled beneath her and threw up. Now she knew where that stomach-lurching smell came from.

With tears stinging her eyes and her throat-burning, Minako looked to each and every one of the charred corpses.

_Why...? Were those things just a diversion? _

_Why would anyone do such a thing? Was it all for nothing?! _

She clenched and unclenched her hands, unsure of what to do, what to think. Suddenly, the pain of her arm felt insignificant compared to what she was feeling at that moment. The little bit of pride she had gained had been shattered, ripped apart into pieces, and those pieces into pieces. Over and over her emotions crushed her, twisting in agony with their sheer intensity. Everything had gone wrong.

_It wasn't supposed to be this way! _She screamed inside.

"G--eh…" A painful moan caught her ears. Who was it? Minako anxiously scanned the grounds again and found the person-- no, the struggling Goddess on a platform up ahead.

"Mother!" Without a moment to waste she sped to her Mother's side. "Mother! Please hang on!"

"Mina—ko…?" Aphrodite gasped out. Her garments had been ripped and stained with blood, large bruises and multiply gashes also covered the ruler's body. And her eyes-- Minako was afraid to look at those once incredibly intense and loving eyes that were now becoming increasingly distant with the passing time. "Why are you here…?"

"Don't talk! You need to save your strength!" Minako didn't waste any time placing her hands over the gash on her Mother's stomach, where large amounts of blood still continued to pour out of, and applied pressure in a desperate attempt to stop the flow.

_I-I've got to stop the blood! I have to, but—there's just so much! It's everywhere! _Even now she could still hear the haunting laugh of the murderer.

_You silly child… Why didn't you stay hidden? _Aphrodite sadly thought. She knew she was dying-- it wouldn't be long before she joined the rest of her children. Even Eros had... Yes, she knew that her only son and heir had perished in battle shortly before her own great battle had begun. His life was going to be snuffed out, like many of her precious children, before their time. Leaving only…

**…****ping…**

It was then that Aphrodite sensed it. _When did Minako's power become this strong? _Her eyes softened with indescribable emotion as she watched her daughter's futile attempt to save her life.

_Perhaps…this was meant to be…_

"Minako… g-give me your hand," Her Mother requested. The young princess stared at her in great confusion; couldn't her mother see that she needed both hands to do what she was doing?

"To succeed me…"

"W-Wait a minute! What are you talking about? To succeed you? L-Look, Mother, you aren't well... E-Eros is the heir. What we should do first, is make sure you get better. And then, we can wait for Eros to get back, together...! I know it's going to be hard, but I'm sure we can all think of a way to get through this."

"Minako..."

"What?" She was really shaking now. Why was her mother looking at her with such pity in her eyes? "Eros...is coming back isn't he? You should have seen him. He's really strong now. So, there's no way that...Eros is..."

"..." The Goddess sadly averted her gaze.

"...No…" Minako whispered. A sharp pain pierced her heart. She suddenly felt very alone; everything was truly slipping through her fingers.

_Eros is...? _It had to be a dream, a bad nightmare. They all weren't going to abandon her like this, were they?

_Are you going to leave me too? You can't!_

"No! Mother, you can't die on me! You can't leave me alone! You're going to get better-- I'll make you better! So please…! Just tell me what to do! I'll do it, whatever it is! Just say that you'll stay!" As she sobbed, the tears were blurring her vision again.

This time Aphrodite did not request her daughter's hand. The Goddess instead gathered all of her strength, and then raised her own to her shocked daughter's forehead. As a glowing orange sphere of light formed within the woman's palm, her own blue eyes swam with emotion.

_Although I refused to see you, you still came… Such a kind child... maybe... a little too kind... Please, Minako... accept this truth..._

_**Flaaash!**_

**. . .**

_Minako found herself gazing into Venus's throne room. It was still the way it had been before the battle; her mother was still sitting upon the throne in good health. However, nothing appeared as peaceful at it should have been. The Venusian Princess saw an expression of displeasure mixed with concern on her mother's face. It looked like Eros, her beloved brother, was discussing a serious matter with the Queen._

"_Eleutherios... Do you understand what you are asking of me? You are essentially asking a mother to condemn her own child to death! His presence is already gathering outside of our borders!" Aphrodite reminded him sternly._

_Prince Eleutherios didn't turn his eyes away despite the Goddess's intimidating tone. "I know, Mother... But I can't just stand here and let Sapphro take my place! I'm the one who's supposed to be out there fighting, not him! I'm the one that our people have asked for! What kind of heir would I be if I couldn't lead them when they needed me the most? Besides... other than you, I am the most qualified to go into battle. Wasn't this exactly what you trained me for, Mother? If I fall, then it will be because of my own weakness. It would mean that only you would be able to stop Him."_

_His Mother sighed sadly. "Marie is already gone." The man could see the sadness dwelling in her eyes, but the call to duty in his heart resounded so much stronger._

"_But Minako has returned," He gently reminded her._

"_Has she now?"_

"_Yes, and as you have requested, I had sent her to her room. She will be safe there, won't she? Maybe...she's the safest out of all of us. If the worse should happen, our enemy should mistake her for an ordinary human. Due to her limits that is…"_

_After a moment of silence, Aphrodite finally said, "You will go, no matter what my verdict is."_

"…_Yes."_

"_Will you say good-bye to your sisters before you leave?"_ _His mother immediately understood his silence._ _"What about Minako?" The ruler then inquired._

"_I'm afraid, I can't do that," Eleutherios slowly shook his head. There was a sad fondness in his eyes as he remembered his little sister. "If-- If I don't make it back…then I would rather have her hate me, than to break her heart, mourning for me. She's grown so much Mother. She's a lot stronger now. I can feel it! If only you would see her!"_

_A weak smile formed on the Goddess's lips. "You know He will come for me, Eleutherios... and as her mother, I wish to spare her from this terrible ordeal. It is for her sake, that I will not see her." She paused for a moment. Although she opposed it, she couldn't be prouder in her son if she tried. "Eleutherios... When this is all over, why don't we both go see her together?" She proposed._

_Eleutherios's blue eyes lit up at this. "Yes, once I return… let us both see her! Together!"_

"_May victory be yours my child..."_

"_Farewell, Mother…" He bowed._

**. . .**

_**FWOOOOOOOSH…**_

The images vanished and left Minako finding herself being embraced by gentle warmth. Her heart sudden felt lighter; it was as if all of the frustration, anger and guilt she carried for so long had melted away into the light, and all she could do in that moment was close her eyes and let it flow throughout her. For some strange reason, she didn't feel alone. It was as though many warm hearts were embracing her all at once.

_**Lubb dubb… Lubb dubb…**_

The sound of her strong heart filled her ears, indicating that she was still alive, but the sound of her breathing was drowned out by a strange crackling.

_Fire...? _She wondered. She was surrounded by a body of dancing, orange flames. It should have frightened her, but somehow she felt reassured that it wouldn't harm her. It dawned on Minako of what was happening when she heard her mother's voice speak to her through her thoughts.

"_My dear child… my kind Minako, you have grown strong." _

The Goddess paused for a moment as images of Minako's adventures became clear in the flames for both mother and daughter to see. The desert of Mars, the first battle against Uranus's army, the trip to Mercury, and Jupiter... even as the war scenes during Uranus's civil war were shown, the former Goddess of Love appeared unperturbed by her daughter's actions. Aphrodite remembered how she sensed Minako's heart struggling for courage despite the circumstances, how she endured sorrow for doing what she needed to do; she had also felt fierce determination towards a promise to become stronger and an unwavering loyalty for her newfound friends. And, although a certain scene was _not _shown on Neptune, unknown to Minako, her Mother was smiling knowingly now.

"_Gaining the trust of new friends, learning the ways of other people, and finding the courage to lead others… With your heart and newfound strength... you, Venus Minako... are worthy of leading our people."_

Minako was momentarily startled when she felt the force around her begin to inwardly push against her. _W-What's going on? _It was becoming harder to breath--the air was becoming hotter all around her; her entire body was tingling. The frightened young woman tried to ask her mother what was happening to her, but it was difficult to think as an orange mist had begun to cloud her mind.

**Ping…**

Aphrodite's spirit sensed a dark, approaching power. _More of Apollo's henchmen..._ The Goddess realized. She would have to hurry for Minako's sake.

Aphrodite gathered the energy around her and pushed the process to completion. Despite the consequences that may befall her daughter because of the child's mental state, this was the only thing that she could do to give her child a chance for a future.

**Ping…**

The Goddess sensed another approaching signature. _There's another presence? _The image of a raven-haired woman came to mind. Aphrodite instantly recognized the individual, and was secretly impressed by the determination set in their dark eyes. In their heart, she could sense a bright, protective flame.

The Goddess found herself smiling despite her fate. Every hesitance she had to depart this world had been washed away within an instant.

"_The time has come… I bestow my power and my title unto thee… awaken, Venus Aphrodite, Goddess of Love!"_

_**FWOOOOOOOSH!!!**_

The flames suddenly flared up and rose above her. The next thing Minako knew, they came crashing down on her like a tidal wave. Her vision went white. The spark of Goddess power within her lit up and built up into a powerful inferno as a surge of energy continued to flood into her. However, it was taking a terrible toll on her senses; as the warmth around her began to fade, and the whispers of goodbyes echoed distantly, only one sentiment prevailed: Now she was truly alone. The people that she had struggled to try and protect were gone.

The last coherent thought that came to mind as the tears fell down her face, was…

_If this is the price for power… to become a true Goddess… I could have done without it._

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!" Minako screamed.

**Rmm…Rmm…Rmm…**

(Rei, Palace courtyard)

**Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!**

"Huff! Huff! Huff! Huff!"

**Ping!**

_What was that?!_ Rei skidded to a halt and honed in on the power surge up ahead. _That power... It felt like a God, but that's not Ares! Who could it be? Aphrodite...? _She gritted her teeth when her spiritual sense came up with nothing else. She couldn't sense Minako's signature anywhere. _Minako... Where are you?!_

The Martian Commander was startled when a signature abruptly appeared from behind her. Rei's whirled on the spot, expecting an ambush from enemy assassins that may have followed her, but to her relief it was the man that she encountered earlier in the battlefield. It looked like he had taken quite the beating, but somehow he had caught up to her.

"You again...! How did you catch up to me?" She tensed when the soldier walked towards her, but to her surprise Sapphro ignored her and continued to walk right past her. "Hey! I was talking to--" Rei stopped mid-sentence when she realized where his attention was. Up ahead, there was a small group of people. A strange, blonde woman in the lead had caught sight of them and was now coming this way.

"Taya!" Sapphro greeted her.

"Sapphro?! Is that you? But...W-Why are you back? I thought you had gone out to fight!"

"I--I did…" He looked away for a split second. "But there's no for that now! Where is Lady Minako?"

"She was heading towards the Audience Chamber last I saw."

_The Audience Chamber? _The blue-haired man thought. _But isn't that __where the royal family took shelter?!_

Rei carefully regarded the man expression, watchful of his reaction. _The Audience Chamber...? Are they talking about the throne room? _She thought back to that surge of power she felt only second before.

"The Audience Chamber, is it in that direction?!" She demanded from the pair. She was pointing further up ahead. Rei didn't have to wait for a verbal answer. As soon as she saw the answer in their eyes, she bolted in the direction. It was all she needed to know.

_If Minako is over there, then all I have to do is follow that signature!_

As she rounded corners and sprinted down corridors, she felt that unfamiliar emotion of anxiety begin to well up within her once more. With every step she took, it got worse. Was it from anticipation? Worry? Fear...? In her mind she saw time running out; the ground was shaking more violently here. Whatever this force was, it was threatening to tear apart the entire area.

_This power! It's definitely a God! _"Huff! Huff! Huff! Huff!" _But their energy is wild. _

_That can only mean one thing...! Whoever it is, they've lost control! _

Despite her exhaustion, Rei pushed herself harder.

_Just a little more!_

**Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!**

She rounded another corner and leapt into a massive corridor. She was very close now. Rei raced down the lone strip and came face to face with a large, double set of doors. She noticed that they had already been pried open._ Someone has already been here!_ The Martian automatically took a step forward, but then remembered to use precautionary measures first. Staying in the doorway, she shot a stream of crimson aura down the center of the room; there were two bodies lying close together on the floor up ahead. One of them was a blonde woman.

_Minako?! _She raced up to the body and bent down to one knee, but to her relief it was not the Venusian Princess that she sought. _No. It's not her._

A strong vibe up ahead made the Martian raise her head. She squinted at the throne, but there was a golden light flashing off to its side. Slowly, Rei got back up and warily approached the wall. She was almost at its entrance when a loud ominous cracking from up above caught her attention.

**Ping!**

_**Crumble--**_

Rei whipped her head up just in time to see a section of the roof come loose.

"Grr--"

_**TUP!**_

The woman threw herself forward, tumbling through a somersault and leapt back onto her feet to realize that she had only narrowly missed being squashed by the slab of marble. The entranceway behind her was now partially restricted by debris.

Rei turned around, intending to proceed forward, and almost ran into a wall of marble. She peered at the edges, seeing a thin line against the wall. _There's supposed to be an entrance here. _The woman stepped back, put away her sword, and raised her hand. "Hah!"

_**Crackle—Snap!**_

Her attack was rebuffed.

_...A barrier!_ Rei frowned. An orange light danced around the wall a few seconds longer before fading away again. She narrowed her eyes. Out of frustration, and for good measure, Rei brought up both hands and unleashed a relentless attack against the barrier. After a few seconds the invisible field began to flicker orange. Rei was caught off-guard when an orange bolt shot out of the wall and sent her flying into the debris behind her.

_**Crackle-BAM!**_

"Auugh!" She slumped against the marble.

_S-Shit! This can't be happening! The signal is just beyond there! _She staggered back up onto her feet. She couldn't understand why there was a barrier there, but if it was in place then there was still time left. _If blasting through it isn't an option... Then there has to be another way!_

Rei kept the location of the source marked in her spiritual sight, but she had begun searching for another pathway. The experienced soldier knew it was too dangerous to remain where she was now-- she had to get to some higher ground where less was likely to fall on top of her head and quick.

As if on cue, she turned her head and noticed a dark, narrow pathway to her right.

**Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!**

"Huff! Huff! Huff! Huff!"

After sprinting a good distance, the Martian nearly tripped over herself when she suddenly came across a short, spiral staircase that was just off of the path to her left. At the top of the steps, she could see an orange light shining through a small opening on the second level.

_Perfect._

_**Tup!**_

_**Rmm... Rmm... Rmm...**_

Rei was halfway up the steps when the area shook violently again. She bent down low and stayed close to the steps. The vibrations shouldn't last long. That was when she heard the ominous cracking again. Rei whipped her head up as chunks of marble began to rain down from the darkness above.

_**Crumble---**_

"Nng!!!!"

_**TUP!**_

Without any hesitation, Rei threw herself with everything her legs had through the opening. She had expected to hit hard rock immediately, but instead she was suddenly flying over an edge. Her body twisted in mid-air at a weak attempt to grab at the thin ledge, only to feel her fingers slip right off. Rei shouted as she dropped down a ways before she hit hard rock at the bottom.

"Ahhhh!!"

**---Thud!!!**

After a few seconds, Rei weakly stirred. She didn't know how far she had dropped, but the wind had been knocked right out of her. Not yet to her knowledge, she had landed into an isolated, spacious chamber; at its center there was an elevated, circular platform. It dipped down to the main floor, remaining relatively even, before sloping back up a meter in height at the edges of the room. Much like the platform at its center, there was a meter wide ledge that circled around the room and was only stopped at this one section where the entrance to the chamber was marked. However, the entranceway, as Rei had earlier discovered, had been sealed off by a section of wall. With the wall up, from the inside, it appeared that there was no other entry available; the walls all along the chamber's perimeter were designed to be vertical at a ninety-degree angle, and the small, rectangular openings were far too high for anyone to climb out (or in, from the inside view). But Rei had fallen through one of these openings and was now lying on the outer perimeter ring, just before the floor sloped down to the main ground.

"...G-eh..." In the Martian's blurry vision, she could see a wall of marble that began to wrap around outside of her vision. For a moment, she forgot why she was here.

**Ping!**

_**Clash! Tinz—tinz!**_

Rei startled up into a sitting position. _Is someone fighting?_ She caught a glimpse of a blast of orange lightning flying to her right side before the area was rocked by another explosion.

_**KABOOM!**_

"Rrrrrgh...!!" Rei shuffled back along the floor and hit the wall behind her. There was the sound of breaking rock close-by. Using the wall as her support, she inched back up onto her feet and winced as she covered her face. The light was so bright; she couldn't see a single thing. When the intensity finally dimmed, however, she gasped. The section of wall to her upper, right side had a gaping hole in it now.

The Martian didn't have to look far to see what had done it. In the middle of the room, standing on the central platform was…

"Minako?!"The Venusian woman was surrounded by a group of shadow assassins, all posed to strike. Rei gritted her teeth. "Minako, hang on!"

Rei was about to jump down to the main floor below when a very cold chill flashed through her body. She froze; there was something very wrong here.

_Wait a minute. That surge of power that I felt earlier! It-- it can't be...! _But as far as she could tell, Minako and her were the only people in the vicinity. The raven-haired woman then blinked a few times, wondering if she was really seeing that orange, fiery energy around the blonde. The light radiating off of her was lighting up the entire room.

_Back on Uranus, I wondered why Minako didn't use her powers to take down Baroach. _Granted, she never gave the woman much of a chance to speak. But that was beside the point. _She could have saved everyone a lot of trouble and worry if she hadn't been stabbed. But then, on Neptune, Haruka said that she was barely anymore a human than I was. If that's true... then how in the name of Mars did she get this strong?! _

She didn't want to admit it, but the woman's power now, definitely, surpassed her own. Rei was taken aback when one of the shadow assassins suddenly cried out and disappeared in an instant.

"CRAAAAR!"

**Shroom!**

"What just happened?!"The Martian hadn't done anything, so why had the creature disappeared? She was fairly sure that Minako hadn't moved. Her amethyst eyes trained on the woman, her gaze falling up and down, until it finally came to rest on the woman's right hand. Why was it curled? After a moment, it suddenly became clear.

_...So, that's what did it. There's some sort of aura chain in her hands! _And it was long. _No wonder she was able to reach that thing from that distance!_

Rei in nervous silence as the onslaught continued. Minako was proving herself to be a ruthless fighter, perhaps more than any of her Martian subordinates. One after another, their enemies were falling like flies without so much as getting one strike in.

_She's so strong. _Perhaps she should have been happy that Minako was holding her own, but the way that her friend was fighting brought her a sense of worry and doubt. _Is that really Minako...? _How could Minako-- the kind, cheerful and goofy person that Rei remembered her to be, the naive woman who almost needed to be protected before, who was crying her heart out during their last encounter, had become this ruthless?

The Commander was distracted when she spotted a nearby, charred body. …_Bodies? _The person had been burnt beyond recognition. She scanned the grounds towards the far wall and spotted five more. The four of the five hadn't been burnt as badly as the others-- she could see that they were all young women.

_**Lubb dubb!**_

"HAAA--AH!" Minako swung her aura chain in a wide circle and caught another opponent. The creature had been wrapped about its middle and before it knew it, it had been sent hurtling into a nearby wall where it was dragged painfully through the marble head first.

"CREECH!" It finally broke.

**Shroom!**

_What happened here? _Rei finally spotted another body at Minako's feet, partially concealed by the younger woman's legs. Her eyes widened.

_**Ping!**_

Rei whipped her head around and spotted a shadow creature circling around the outside ring towards her as its comrades preoccupied the blonde's attention. Was it going to try to ambush Minako from behind? Rei didn't even have to think about it; instinctively she unsheathed her sword and rushed to meet. She didn't bother going the full distance before she leapt up and attacked.

_Oh no, you don't!_

"YAH!"

_**Slash----!**_

**Shroom!**

An awkward silence descended over the area as the last of the shadow assassins had been dealt with. For the most part the tremors had stopped, but the air remained dangerously tense.

"Minako!" Rei called to her. She hesitated to walk up to the woman. Now that she had finally found her, the words had trouble forming on her lips.

An apology did cross her mind, but that was before Minako slowly turned around and met her gaze. The cold chill Rei had felt earlier returned with a vengeance. Minako's eyes were glowing with a strange orange light--they appeared to be devoid of emotion. Rei wondered if she should try calling out to Minako again, but her mouth felt dry. Something was changing in the blonde's eye, but it wasn't a good one. An emotion of hostility was beginning to replace the emptiness.

Minako suddenly gave the wrist of her free hand a flick, and a second chain of orange aura formed in it.

_Does she want to fight me?_ Her earlier thoughts of sensing a wild energy came rushing back.

"_This power! It's definitely a God! But their energy is wild. That can only mean one thing...! Whoever it is, they've lost control!" _

"Minako..." Rei narrowed her eyes, feeling torn inside. _So, the God that lost control was..._ Her face twisted in pain. "C'mon Minako, snap out of it! Don't you recognize me?!"

Through the blonde's clouded eyes, all she saw was the shadow of a person and the red aura seeping out of them. The orange energy around Minako flared up dangerously. She recognized that aura all right; it belonged to the murderer that had taken her precious family away from her.

"Minako!" Rei called to her again, but she knew it was no use. She could sense that Minako was about to attack at any second.

Rei reluctantly raised her sword and crouched low into a defensive stance. Rei Hino, who had lived with the motto, "nothing in life is guaranteed", found herself thinking, for once in a very long time, that life wasn't fair.

_...Minako._

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**Next up in HFD, Ch. 18: Venus: Aphrodite**

**Minako has lost control and has gone berserk. But what can Rei do against a destructive force of nature? Can she even hope to come out alive, let alone unscathed? **


	18. Venus: Aphrodite

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own Sailor Moon.**

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Rei shuffled her feet slightly and adjusted the grip on her sword. If Minako wasn't going to listen to reason, then she would have to get through by force. But fighting against an out of control God was dangerous, especially one with Minako's abilities; the Venusian's chains were an extension of her spiritual power but in solid form. There was no telling what would happen if it came into contact with her body. There was the question of the weapon's range. She had seen the consequences of underestimating the Goddess moments before, and each of them ended with death.

_She'll likely attack me directly. _Rei thought. She glanced at the chains ends and noticed one of them begin to spark.

Rei threw her hand out.

_**Crackle!**_

The crimson bolt landed a direct hit and temporarily delayed its movement, but the attack had prompted its twin to action. The other chain swooped through the air and whipped down at her.

_**Swish----BLAM!!**_

Rei evaded left, hard, and heard the marble wall break where she was seconds before. But she didn't stop to counterattack. Rei continued to run along the outer ring and drew the chain after her. Minako's weapon persistently chased after her and smashed into the wall along the way, tearing out chunks of marble whenever the Martian made sharp turns along the circle.

_**Crash! Blam-Blam! Blam-Blam! Boom!**_

Rei was amazed. She had nearly made a full circle and the chain was still extending.

_It's still coming?! How much longer can it get?!_

"Huff! Huff! Huff! Huff!" The chain suddenly shot up and dove again—it just missed its target and stabbed the floor, making a small crater in the rock.

_**Blam!**_

"Ugh!" Rei hit the floor and felt pebbles bounce against her. The woman rolled onto her back just as the chain lashed again. It aimed at her left breast, but she threw the heel of her foot into the ground and shuffled her upper body right as it came down. Minako's chain collided with the ground. She swerved several more times as it stabbed at her, barely escaping the deadly blows. All the while, in the background, the second chain crept up closer from behind.

"Back off!" Rei swung her sword up at it and deflected the first chain. Or so she had thought. From behind, the second chain lashed out and wrapped about her blade. Rei was so startled that her sword was ripped right out of her grasp and sent flying on the other side of the room.

It was no contest. The first chain took advantage of the distraction and finally pinned the Martian.

_**Zoom- Stab!**_

"Gah!" Rei shouted in agony as the chain cut through her armor and pierced through her right shoulder. Automatically she threw one of her hands up and grabbed the chain, and yelped when the orange energy zapped her. _No! _Shaking, Rei gritted her teeth and forced herself to grab the chain despite the pain. In her peripheral vision she could see the second chain posing for the killing blow.

"Rrg--!! Mina---ko!!!" Rei winced out. The second chain hesitated only for a second before it charged forward. At that instant, Rei released a radial blast of her power; both chains were thrown off of her.

Minako stepped back and waited warily as the dust cloud settled. She narrowed her eyes at what she saw-- her opponent had encased herself within a spherical case of crimson energy.

Rei panted hard and leaned against the nearest wall as she tried to catch her breath. Never breaking her gaze with the blonde woman, she touched her wound and healed it.

_She just keeps attacking from that spot! _Rei squinted across the room and sighted her sword. If only she could get to it. _Could I use that against her somehow?_

The Goddess must have known what she was up to and re-initiated her assault; the two chains relentlessly struck at the Martian's barrier, mercilessly putting a strain on her opponent's body.

_**Blam! Blam! Blam!—Blam! Blam! Blam!----Blam! Blam! Blam!**_

"Rrg...Ahh...Ah!"

But Rei endured the attack and listened carefully. She waited for the pause between the chains' strikes and then dashed forwards. The action seemed to have caught the Venusian off guard because by the time she had re-positioned herself to pursue the woman Rei had regained possession of her sword. But she was about to be surprised again-- the Martian began to rush at the Goddess in what appeared to be a suicidal attempt.

"HaaaaaaAAAAH!!!"

Minako commanded her chains on the spot and tried to squash the minor threat, but she quickly found her advantage being turned against her. As Rei closed in, it became harder for her weapons to change direction and attack her. At this rate, the Martian would reach her. She had no choice. In her rush, Rei didn't notice it but Minako had dismissed one of her chains. The orange energy was recalled back into the palm of her hand.

"Cooooome ooooon, Minako!" Rei thinned the front of her aura barrier and drew her sword back. Within a few meters she lunged forward and brought it down as hard as she could. "Snap out of IT!"

**BOOM!**

Rei had made it to the platform, but her attack had been interrupted. She stared at Minako with startled eyes and saw the woman return a frigid gaze. Suddenly, Rei could feel a light pressure prodding her barrier. She slowly lowered her gaze to where Minako's hand lay outstretched-- there was a ball of orange light pressed against her barrier in front of her mid section.

"Ah--" The pressured exponentially increased. Before Rei could utter another word, the energy discharged with a powerful blast and shoved her right off of the platform.

_**CRACKLE!**_

"AHH!" Her barrier shattered. Rei felt panic surge through her; the moment she hit ground, a chain curled tightly around her mid-section. She grunted and almost bit her tongue when it abruptly whipped her up and threw her into a thick marble slab. "GaH!" Just like with the shadow assassin, Minako had tossed Rei into the nearest wall. Except, her enemy proved to be a little studier than she had anticipated. The armor would have to be disposed of.

Minako continued to throw her enemy around, alternating between crushing her to the floor and smashing her into the walls like a helpless puppet. All the while, Rei was helpless in her grip. She could barely distinguish up from down.

_M-Minako...! C'mon...snap...out of...it!_

_**Blam! Blam! Blam!**_

The Goddess then materialized the second chain once more. The first chain abruptly halted in mid-air and kept a steady grip on the woman. Rei weakly shook her head, trying to get a hold of her senses. She barely did when the second chain came down upon her and whipped her straight into another wall.

_**BLAM!**_

"AH--!" Her chest plate had been smashed to pieces. Rei felt the momentum push through her, holding her against the wall for a second longer before she dropped to the ground.

**THUD.**

"...Hah...ah...Hah...! Ah!" Gasping and struggling for breath, Rei weakly pushed herself up into a sitting position. She suffered from a cut lip, and many bruises. Perhaps even a bruised rib. Her entire body was in pain.

The Commander shuffled back and propped herself up against the wall and stared at Minako through unfocused eyes. The Goddess didn't even appear to be out of breath.

_D-Damn... I--I can't even touch her! _She calmly watched the Venusian pose for the final strike._ If I don't do something then she'll really kill me_. _If only I had more power!_ Rei's dark eyes accidentally landed on Ami's suppression gun that had fallen out nearby. That was when an idea leapt to mind. _...Or...if she had a little less!_

"Hey, Minako!" Rei saw the woman frown. "I've been wondering for awhile now...but who's that by your feet? This entire time, you refused to budge from that spot. Do you know her?"

Minako twitched. She then flung her chains forward at the Martian, but Rei side-stepped to the side. She began to circle the outer ring once again, but this time she had the gun firmly in her hands.

"I was also wondering... did you see what happened to these people? It looks like some of them were burnt to death! But as far as we know of no shadow assassin is capable of doing such a thing! What happened here?!"

**Blam! Blam!**

Rei ducked and the chains hit the wall above her. However, this time she noticed that she had some space for error. _Her aim...It's gotten worse! _She looked at Minako and could see the woman frowning in frustration.

_Maybe I'm onto something!_

**Blam!**

"Every since you left Neptune, everyone has been worried about you! You just left without a word! Why?"

**Blam! Blam!**

"When you returned to Venus, did your mother punish you?!"

**Blam! Blam!**

"Do you remember, Ami? Makoto--?"

**Blam! **

"--Haruka, or Michiru? They're all here too! We're all here to help you!"

_**Swish—**_

Rei was too slow this time, and both chains caught her. One whipped across her mid-section and held her against the wall as the other wrapped itself about her throat. She struggled weakly, as much as her strength would allow her, but she noticed that the attack was half-hearted. She could see that Minako's breathing had become ragged. There wasn't so much anger in her glowing eyes as there was pain.

"Minako..." Rei gasped for breath. "...I'm...sorry..." Minako felt her heart skip a beat. Rei felt the chain's hold around her throat loosen slightly. "...It's true. Not just on Neptune, but for what happened on Uranus as well. I never...really gave you a chance to speak your mind. I should have, but I guess I was just...afraid. I was worried about you."

Rei squeezed against the chain, adding some of her own power, and felt it break under her grip. Without any hesitation, she walked out of the remaining chain's hold and slowly walked towards the Goddess. Panic began to settle into Minako's expression.

"And, on Neptune... I didn't mean to slap you. It's just--you just took me by surprise." She was within a few steps of Minako now. Ami's gun was still in her hands. "Minako," Rei reached out for her arm and tried to hold her steady, but Minako was shaking her head in panic. "I should have told you this earlier. I was worried about you because..."

"N-No..."

"You're my friend."

Minako froze when she suddenly felt Rei's lips on hers. She struggled to pull away but the woman had a firm hand on the back of her head. The next thing her mind registered was a light pressure against her neck and then a sharp pain. The orange glow around her body slowly faded away and suddenly she felt light headed, and exhausted.

_...Rei..._

Minako fell unconscious.

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**Next up in HFD, Ch. 19: Venus: Stardust Memory**

**"****Destroy...everything!"**

**Rei and Minako aren't the only ones with problems. Back outside, Haruka and Michiru are about to get an unpleasant surprise.**

**Some distance away before the blonde ruler, the child appeared. Yet there was something odd about her; firstly, Hotaru's body was floating slightly above the ground. The girl was also emitting a dangerous purple aura to her; it was surrounding her tiny body like hell's flames. And her eyes… the intensity of those glowing eyes nearly made Haruka step back in fear.**

**"****HOTARU!" Haruka cried to her again. "Don't do it!"**

_**What is she reacting to? **_**Neptune contemplated.**

**A huge ball of light began to glow in one of Hotaru's hands.**

_**RMM…RMM…RMM…**_

"**HOOOOOTARU!"**


	19. Venus: Stardust Memory

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Sailor Moon**

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(Hotaru, Uranus Shuttle)

**Ping!**

In one of the shuttles, Hotaru's peaceful sleep was interrupted by a chill in the air. The girl groaned and rolled on her bed as if she were experiencing a nightmare. One of the two guards outside of her room thought they heard a noise from inside, but the other shook his head and reminded the man of their orders to stay put.

The feeling inside grew worse; Hotaru was beginning to perspire badly. But no one else on the shuttle was aware. In the dark-haired girl's mind, she saw a tall, short-haired individual's back. He was wearing a suit of armor, just like Haruka. But there were flames all around him. She quickly shook her head as the man slowly turned his head and looked at her from over his shoulder.

He smiled. "_Destroy everything… Kill all who stands in your way!"_

Hotaru screamed as her body was enveloped by a dangerous, purple aura. The guards at the door jumped at the noise and rushed into the room just as Hotaru's eyes snapped open. Suddenly, everything went white.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

_**KabooM!**_

"What was that?!" Kali, Uranus's field-commanding officer demanded. The crew around her were scrambling at their screens.

"I-I don't know! One of our shuttles just disappeared off of the screen!"

"What did you say?!" _Is it the enemy?_ "Which shuttle?!"

"I-I..." The woman stared hard at the officer and watched his face go white. "It was...Her Majesty's. B-But Sir Haruka had already departed for battle, so it shouldn't be a problem! We just need to alert all of the forces in the area, right?" Her subordinate was confused when he saw the angry frown on his superior's face. "...Sir?"

_...Shit! _Kali Auranos gritted her teeth. Although her staff had forgotten one, little, important detail, she hadn't.

"Get me Sir Haruka on the line immediately!"

"But... Her Majesty is still hasn't returned from battle! Do you really think it's a wise idea to interrupt her--"

"JUST do it!"

"S-Sir!"

Kali bent over her screen and waited for the communications port to open. Haruka had better damn well answer.

_That was no ordinary explosion. _That power surge she just felt, in the moment that the shuttle exploded still shook her to the core. _Damn it, Haruka! You better pick up!_

(Haruka, Palace Courtyard)

"Huff! Huff! Huff! Huff!"

_Just hang in there Rei! I'm almost there!_

_When I was in the battlefield, I suddenly felt this huge surge of power. At first, I didn't know what to think. I thought it might've been Ares. But then, out of the blue, I felt it. _Haruka clenched her jaw. _Rei...Why did you go chasing after it alone?! We were supposed to rescue Minako together, remember?! What good does it do anyone if you—_

In the woman's vision she could see the Cupid Palace coming into view. But she was, once again, confronted by a small team of shadow assassins.

Haruka gritted her teeth, and raised her fist. "World…SHAKING!"

**Wham! **_**Wrrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiir---KABLAM!**_

"CRRAAAAA...!" Three more shadow assassins bit the dust.

Haruka leapt through the opening and ran straight into the palace courtyard. She came to a stop and warily eyed her surroundings.

_This is it. This was where Rei's signature disappeared. But... there's something that doesn't quite make any sense. There doesn't look like there was a battle here._ She scanned the deserted grounds. Was she too late?

_No! She's got to be around here somewhere!_

With that, the tall woman boosted her detection spell and began an area wide scan for the Martian's signature. But Haruka wasn't far into the search when her concentration was rudely interrupted when her watch communicator went off.

"Oh, for cryin' out loud!" With an angry snarl she bashed the button and opened the channel. "...This had better be important!" she muttered underneath her breath.

She watched as Kali's image appeared on screen. "Your Majesty." Kali greeted her as if calling her superior in the middle of battle was the most natural thing in the world. If it were anyone else that she was speaking to, her calm stance may have fooled them but it was obvious to Haruka that the woman was agitated about something.

"Drop the act. What's wrong?" Haruka said coolly.

"As you wish." The woman closed her eyes, as if trying to block out the loud noise in the background. "It's your shuttle, Haruka. I don't know how to tell you this, but...it was destroyed."

_Ah!_ Haruka felt her blood run cold. "What do you mean, by destroyed?"

"It means exactly that. From the report that I received from a nearby shuttle, they said that the shuttle suddenly exploded without any warning. As we speak, a search crew has gone to the wreckage to investigate and search for survivors... but from the sounds of it, I highly doubt that there were any. As for the cause of it..."

"Forget it."

"What?"

"I don't care about that! Just tell me about Hotaru! You know she was in that shuttle! What happened to her?!"

Kali frowned at the stupid question. "Well, if she was in that shuttle when it exploded, then I would think that..." The woman suddenly turned her head around and was distracted by one of her subordinates.

"Think what?! Kali, don't you dare ignore me!"

"Look, would you just shut up for a minute?!" She snapped back. She then listened to the rest of the soldier's report, nodding in understanding, before she finally dismissed him.

"...What is it?" Haruka noticed that the third-ranked commander looked a little pale. "Did you guys find Hotaru?"

"Haruka." Kali growled. Her green eyes were flashing. "Would you just give the kid a rest? If you were that worried about her safety, then you shouldn't have brought her into a battlefield in the first place!"

Haruka opened her mouth to snap back, but on some level she knew her friend was right. As far as Kali knew, Hotaru was just an ordinary little girl that she had found on her travels. The ruler didn't have the heart to tell the woman that their current dilemma and her comrade's death were intimately tied into the girl's existence. She didn't know how Kali would take it. But now, she thought she may have an inkling of how the woman would react.

**Ping! **

_**Fizz…fizz…**_

Inside the Queen's Chamber, Rei froze when she felt the malicious energy. Unconsciously she drew Minako a little closer.

_What was that energy? _She hadn't felt such a dark energy in years. _Something terrible is happening out there!_

**Ping!**

**FWOOOSH!**

Outside, there was a loud explosion that rang throughout the air. Everyone on the field, including Haruka, braced themselves when they were hit by strong winds as a light filled the area.

Kali had tilted her head up and her eyes were widened in shock. "...Shit, Haruka." On the shuttle's overhead screen, it depicted a gigantic ball of pink-ish light hovering over the battlefield and in its center was Hotaru. "I think I just found her. If we live through this, we're going to have a long talk!!"

Haruka turned her head towards the sky and gasped. "Hotaru?!"

Everyone else on the battlefield turned their heads towards the palace and gaped in awe. Ami and Makoto couldn't believe what they were seeing.

_Is that really Hotaru?_ The two rulers gaped.

Michiru was already bolting down the battlefield to find Haruka. Meanwhile, the wind ruler found herself torn inside.

"Hotaru!"Haruka clenched her fists at her side. Hotaru was surrounded in purple flames--her eyes were narrowed and glowing pink. The woman didn't want to acknowledge it, but looking at the sight before her it really did look as though her charge had transformed into a monster; Haruka could feel her entire body shake with fear. But she couldn't run and hide now. In her mind, she could still see the first time she had met the girl: It had been extremely dark and her senses were reeling; when she first found the girl and saw her look up at her for the first time, she felt as though a light had come into her life.

"_Papa!"_

As far as Haruka was concerned, Hotaru was still a shy, little girl who just wanted to be loved and protected. She had to protect her.

_I have to do something! But what?!_

"Hotaaaruuuu!" She called to her again. She hardly noticed Neptune reaching her side now.

"Haruka, look!" Michiru pointed out.

Haruka gasped. _Goddess! What's happening to her?! _Before both women's eyes, Hotaru's body was beginning to change. She was growing taller, and her physique was developing into a young woman's. She was aging before their very eyes!

**RMM…RMM…RMM…**

"Rrg!" Haruka tried to keep herself steady despite the shaking ground. _W-Where is she getting all of that power?! A-At this rate--!_

Michiru was also struggling to keep her balance. _Her powers already rival ours! _She analyzed. The intelligent woman didn't want to admit it, but if Hotaru's powers kept growing at such exponential rate than they were all in trouble.

"Eh… Uwaah…" The sound of sobbing broke the air.

_Is she crying? _Neptune and Uranus simultaneously thought.

Hot tears were pouring down Hotaru's cheeks of her, now, teenage body. The emotional outburst affected Michiru the most; there was such an intense feeling of pain and anguish coming from the girl that Michiru came close to crying herself.

_What is she reacting to? _

**Ping!**

"Ah! Oh no!" She gasped at what she saw; a huge ball of light began to glow in one of Hotaru's hands and it was growing at exponential proportions.

"HOTARU!" Haruka cried again. "Don't do it!"

The dark orb kept on growing though. Soon, it had nearly become as big as the sphere that had initially surrounded the teenage girl. Everyone from the ground pointed up at the massive gathering of sparking energy. They all saw it for what it was: A threat to their survival.

"Hotaru!" Haruka tried to approach the girl, but a bolt of purple lightning shot towards her. She was nearly hit if it wasn't for her partner, who pushed her out of the way just in the nick of time.

_**Kablam!**_

The two Goddesses glanced behind them to where Hotaru's attack had hit. There was a huge crater in the rock.

Haruka was shocked. _If I had been hit by that..._ "...Michiru. Isn't there anything we can do?"

The shorter woman averted her gaze. "I don't know. But I do know this... If she unleashes that thing, then everyone in the vicinity will be killed. Even the people in the city!"

_Everyone...?_

"No. You mean, there's really nothing we can do? So then what?! We just have to sit around and let it happen?!"

"Haruka..."

"Damn it!!" The blonde stood up and turned to face the teenager. She raised her hands, noting how hard it shook.

_I really don't want to do this...!_ She narrowed her green eyes as she summoned up her powers. There was no telling how much good it would do, but she had to try. _Please forgive me, Hotaru!_

Michiru's saw the gold colour spark around the woman's arms. "What are you doing?!"

_**BAM!!!**_

**RMM…RMM…RMM…**

At that moment, another force interfered. In a blink of an eye, a darker energy attacked Hotaru. The girl tensed in surprise; the foreign energy swirled around the teenager's body several of times before it shot upwards and hungry clamped down on the sphere of light. No one could believe their eyes-- the threat was being nullified by an invisible force.

_It's actually overpowering her aura! _The planet rulers realized.

Hotaru tried to lash out at the intruder, but she found that her powers were no match for them. The youth's eyes narrowed when a voice rang out.

"**I see... so you have finally awakened."**

Michiru's eyes widened upon hearing that voice. _That voice! __Could it be…?_

"**Unfortunately… it is not yet time for your awakening …"**

"Not time yet…?" Haruka mouthed. Recognition dawned on her. "Wait! I-It's you! The Witch! What are you going to do to Hotaru?! Let her go!"

However, this invisible presence had other plans. With a silent command, the swirling void around Hotaru compressed down onto the girl and trapped her within its barrier. All the while, Hotaru was helpless. The girl attempted to struggle against the unseen opponent, only to feel her struggles weaken with her decreasing power. She was losing consciousness.

"Hotaru!" Through the patches of wind Haruka could barely make out Hotaru's body slumping as an enormous blast of light lit the area. When the light disappeared, both Hotaru and the stranger had disappeared. "No..." _No, no, no, no! This can't be happening_! "HOTARU!" Haruka raced to the spot beneath where she saw the girl disappear. "HOTAAARRUUU!"

"Haruka…" Michiru watched her partner slip into hysteria as she shouted the child's name. As much as she wanted to cry herself, she tried to be strong for Haruka's sake.

"Damn!" The blonde released a burst of power in frustration. She couldn't accept this—to have Hotaru taken away by _that _person. "Michiru," The other woman looked up at the mention of her name, "do you think you can figure out where she's taken her?"

"Most likely... Why? What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to go find Rei and Minako. Once we're all together, we'll go after Hotaru. We have to get her back!"

Haruka ran off even before she saw Michiru nod in agreement. This time, when she faced the palace she could sense Rei's signature.

_There you are!_

(Minako, Bed Chambers)

In one of the palace chambers, Minako finally stirred. The first thing the Venusian noticed was the sound of movement on her left side, and someone calling her name.

"My Lady!"

Minako slowly opened her eyes and realized that she was lying in a bed. She blinked and quizzically peered the room, somewhat feeling light-headed. She wasn't dead was she? Her gaze finally came to rest on the individual who sat at her bedside.

"Taya...?"

"Oh, thank Goddess!" The next thing Minako knew, her advisor had bent down and embraced her into a secure hug. Past the woman's head, she could make out a short-haired man in armor standing in the corner. She felt her heart skip a beat.

"Eros...?" The man averted his gaze. "But how...? I thought you were..."

"I'm sorry, my Lady... but... that isn't Lord Eleutherios." Taya said quietly and hugged her tighter.

"...Sapphro." Minako said softly in understanding. She felt her friend release her from the hug, and instead held her steady by the shoulders. Minako looked down. "That's right... It couldn't be Eros, because..." She closed her eyes as it all came rushing back to her. It hurt so much.

"I'm sorry." Sapphro hung his head in shame. "I tried my best but... it turned out my best wasn't good enough."

His words resonated deeply within Minako. In response, she shook her head. "No. Please don't blame yourself. I'm sure that you did everything you could. And if Eros were here, right now... I'm sure that he'd agree with me."

"...I'm sorry." Sapphro turned his head away to hide the beginnings of tears.

"Lady Minako..." Taya said gently. "You've been through a lot today, so... I think it would be for the best if we'd let you rest."

"Wait. Taya...? Before you go, how did I get here? The last thing that I remember, I was in the Queen's Chamber."

The young woman saw her guardians both exchange looks.

"The Queen's Chamber," Taya said thoughtfully. She was interrupted when the three of them could hear people talking outside of the room. Sapphro immediately went to tell them to quiet down, but as soon as he opened the door, Minako exclaimed,

"You guys!" Everyone was there: Ami, Makoto, Haruka, Michiru and Rei had all stopped talking and looked at the shocked girl.

Minako almost felt like crying again.

"Hey! It's good to see that you're awake." Haruka waved. She ignored Sapphro's disapproving look and led the rest of the group in.

Minako was ecstatic. "I just can't believe it! Am I seeing things? Like how? When...?"

"It's a bit of a long story." Ami admitted.

"Yeah, but the important thing is that we all got through in one piece." Makoto laughed. But the awkward silence around her prompted the woman to shut up.

"Huh? Did something happen?" Minako blinked back curiously. She was surprised to see the apologetic looks she was receiving. "Umm...C-C'mon you guys, why the long expressions?"

"Hey... We all heard about what happened to your family. I think I speak for all of us when I say that we're sorry for your loss."

"Oh. I see... Well, you know, these things just happen sometimes, I guess..." She smiled.

"...Minako. I really hate to say this, but I'm afraid that we can't stay for long. Something really important has come up."

"What do you mean?"

"It's...well, I'm sure we can handle it. But you stay here and rest, all right, kiddo? We'll come back and visit you again soon."

Haruka was surprised when the blonde suddenly looked glum. Had she said something wrong?

"I mean--"

"It's okay. I understand..." Minako said in a quiet voice. If they thought she was going to be a burden if she came along, then she could understand being left behind. "If you guys don't mind, I think I should rest. I guess I'm feeling tired after all..."

"...Yeah. All right then... we'll let you get to it. I hope you feel better soon."

"Thanks."

Out of the corner of her eye, Minako watched the others leave one by one. But as they passed the door, her eyes couldn't help but be drawn to the dark-haired woman there. Rei hadn't moved from the doorway during the entire visit.

Taya saw the silent exchange between the two women. "Well, I suppose we should take our leave as well, my Lady. Please, rest well."

The advisor got up and was met at the door by Sapphro. As the pair passed Rei, Sapphro paused long enough to whisper into her ear, "Your planet ruler killed my best friend. So if you ever make her cry, I'll kill you myself."

Rei said nothing and waited until the two had left. Once they were alone, the woman finally stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. For the longest time there was an awkward silence between them. Feeling somewhat nervous, Rei purposely walked up to the bed and sat down in the vacant chair. The creaking of the furniture relieved the silence only for a moment.

As Minako watched the woman sit in the chair, she suddenly noticed the extent of her friend's injuries. There were a few nasty, black bruises on Rei's face, and a long bandage wrapped about her forehead. On her arms, there were also quite a few of scrapes and bruises.

"Wow, just look at you. You're all beaten up. What happened?"

The question shocked the Martian. "You mean... you don't remember?"

"Remember what?"

Rei felt the hairs on her head starting to stick up at odd angles. _You really...don't remember? You did this to me!!!_ She wanted to shout, but somehow she found the will not to.

"It's nothing."

Sensing that it was a delicate topic, Minako finally said, "I see. So, umm, anyway... I guess you heard about what happened, right? It's kinda crazy, huh?"

Rei closed her eyes for a moment. She could clearly see Minako's weak smile when she was talking to Haruka only minutes before.

"What do you mean?"

"Huh? W-Well...everything I guess."

Rei saw her smile again, but this wasn't what she wanted. "Minako." The hard tone that she said her name surprised the blonde. "...How do you really feel about all of this?"

"..."

"Honestly."

"...Honestly?" Minako finally dropped the smile. "I don't know. It's just... It happened so fast."

_Those men..._ Minako thought back to the three who had went with her into the Audience Chamber.

"I thought I had everything under control..."

_Marie... Eros...Mother... Oh no. I'm going to cry!_

"I was so sure of myself that I could save everyone. But...look what's happened. They're dead. They're all dead because I wasn't strong enough to save them!"

Rei was speechless as she watched the tears begin to spill down Minako's face. The loss of a family; it reminded her of living alone on Mars.

"I-I thought they abandoned me... but they were..." Minako bit her bottom lip. "They were just trying to save me!"

_They still loved me... even after I've failed them._

She couldn't help it. She couldn't stop crying, even with Rei sitting right there. "Hah... You probably think... I'm such a big baby, crying like this, right?"

She froze when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. Minako lifted her chin up and saw Rei staring straight into her eyes. There was such a serious expression on her face.

"No. You aren't being a baby."

She didn't know why, but after hearing those simple words the tears wouldn't stop. She cried harder than before, this time into Rei's shoulder as the woman held her in a secure embrace.

They both stayed like that for awhile.

**

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**

**Next up in HFD, Ch. 20: Seer of Pluto**

**Where has Hotaru being taken? Everyone frantically is searching for the girl, yet who will be the one to find the Witch's location? And if they do find this individual, what will they learn? What awaits them all?**

"…_**I will show you what you have sought, heirs and successors of the former court of Apollo."**_


	20. Seer of Pluto

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own Sailor Moon.**

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(Neptune Shuttle, The Bridge)

Sometime later, Haruka had requested for all of the planet leaders to meet in the bridge of Neptune's head transport ship. However, after everyone had shown up, only four of the six available seats were occupied. The representatives of Venus and Mars were absent. No one had expected the Venusian diplomat to show up, but they couldn't very well start the briefing without Mars. It was this awkward wait that was making them all anxious. Secretly, although no one would openly admit it, Minako's ordeal had dragged up a few unpleasant memories from their own pasts.

In the outside hallway, Taya and Sapphro approached the lift to the bridge.

"Are you sure?" Sapphro whispered to her.

"We've already been through this. I'm sure," Taya said firmly. "Someone has to act as Venus's representative while our Lady is recuperating."

"That...won't be necessary."

Both guardians looked up at the pair across from them.

Minutes later, the bridge doors parted. Everyone turned to look to see two familiar figures step inside. For a moment, they were all taken aback.

Haruka shot Rei an annoyed look. "It's about time you got here. You're late, you know? And _you,_ I thought you were going to stay home and rest."

Minako smiled back. "Sorry to disappoint... but I changed my mind. I hope you don't mind."

Haruka stared at the smaller woman for a moment. Although her physical appearance hadn't changed, the difference in Minako's power from before was profound. Undoubtedly, she was a Goddess.

"What about those two watchdogs of yours? Don't you think they'd be a little upset if you suddenly disappeared on them?"

"It's already taken care of. We ran into them on the way here," she explained. "They're going to stay behind and make sure everything runs smoothly while I'm away."

"Is that so...?" Haruka said thoughtfully. "Well then, I guess that's that. Take a seat. We'll begin immediately."

Minako felt almost giddy as she took a seat beside Michiru. Everyone was smiling at her, and whispering how good it was to have her back. This was much better than lying in that room, doing nothing.

"Ahem." Haruka cleared her throat. "I really hate to be a party pooper, so! Instead, I'll let Ami tell you all what's happening."

The addressed party sighed. As she shuffled the stack of papers in front of her, she muttered under her breath 'you know I was going to do it anyway'. "Umm...so yes, as Haruka has just mentioned, we're actually in a bit of a sticky situation." The woman opened up a computer screen on the desk and brought up a few images onto the overhead projector. "As most of you are already aware of, we barely escaped a dangerous, but unpredictable near miss earlier today."

"Wait a minute. Is that...Hotaru?" Minako squinted at the screen. One of the windows opened up to the side with a zoomed up photo of the figure surrounded by the ball of light.

"...Yeah." Haruka reluctantly admitted. "It is."

"But, what happened to her? When did all of this happen?"

"You were unconscious when it happened." Rei said in a low voice. The comment drew a puzzled look from the blonde, but Ami interrupted before she could pursue it.

"Anyway, the cause as to why she suddenly reacted is unknown. To be honest, I never knew she had that kind of power lying dormant within her."

The comment drew a few curious gazes towards Haruka and Michiru, who both seemed somewhat tense at the implication.

"None of us did." Michiru finally replied. "But as half of the key, we now know why it is especially important that she should not fall into the wrong hands."

"Which is precisely why we have to get her back," Haruka said firmly.

"No one is disagreeing with you, Haruka," Makoto said. "The question is...how? You saw what happened. Hotaru was taken away by someone even more powerful than herself. How are we supposed to fight against something like that?"

"We'll find a way..." The wind ruler vowed. "By the way, Michiru, did you have any luck with finding the Witch's location?"

_The Witch... _The title sounded familiar to Minako. _Wait a second. Wasn't that what they were talking about back on Neptune? Is this Witch person the same person who stole Hotaru away?_

"Surprisingly...yes."

"Really?!"

"I wouldn't get carried away just yet," the calm woman warned. "As you know, Haruka, I've tried to locate her once before and failed. Not only that, but as we can see from Ami's video, she was strong enough to overpower Hotaru. Given that, I think we cannot attribute my success to skill or mere coincidence."

"She wants us to find her." Minako spoke up.

"...Precisely."

There was another awkward silence.

"So what...?" Haruka finally said. "If she wants a fight, then she'll get one. We aren't going to let Hotaru go without a fight! Right?!" She looked to her friends.

"Heh. You're being an over-confident, hot-head as usual," Rei retorted. "Why don't you try thinking up of a plan first before you get us all killed."

"What?! Jeez, that's so mean..." Her reaction brought everyone to laugh, breaking the tense atmosphere. "But fine. I'll definitely work on it. Where are we heading anyways?"

"Pluto." Michiru calmly said.

_Pluto...?_ Everyone seemed to ponder on that for a moment.

"Hey, I don't want to be the one to ask a stupid question but... what is Pluto? Is that even a planet?" Makoto asked.

"Hmm...Actually, now that you mention it, I think I heard that its planet classification was up to debate." Ami quipped.

"...Really? That sounds kinda strange. Well, are there any people on it?"

"I'm not sure. It's pretty far out, so if there are any, it must be pretty isolated."

"Like... how far out?" Rei raised an eyebrow.

"Let's just say... it's a ways past Neptune." Michiru could almost smirk at the shocked looks she was receiving.

"Wow." Minako breathed. _That's pretty far..._

"So basically, it's a long trip." Haruka smiled. "Enough time to come up with a plan, right?" She nodded to Rei.

"If you say so," The Martian shrugged. "In any case, if it's that far away, then shouldn't we get started? The longer we sit around, the longer it'll take us to get to Hotaru."

"Yeah, you're right. Okay group! I would recommend that everyone check up with their soldiers and make sure everything is in order before we leave. I would like us all to depart within the hour."

"Right!!"

Everyone gathered their things and made their way out of the bridge, until only Rei, Minako and Haruka were left. The moment the three were alone, Haruka dropped the smiley facade.

"So, umm, Minako... you're really, really sure about this? Even after hearing all of that?" She asked her again.

"...Yeah." She nodded. "Hotaru is my friend too. I want to help out in any way I can."

"It'll be dangerous."

"I know. I did think about it before I agreed to coming."

"Well, all right," Haruka patted her shoulder. "But make sure to let your babysitters know about it first! Haha!"

"Hey! They aren't like that!" Minako indignantly huffed as she watched the taller blonde leave the room. "Really!" She said to Rei.

"...They're just worried about you."

"Ah. Yeah, I know. But still..."

"Minako."

"Hm?"

_About yesterday..._ "...Never mind."

"Eh?! Oh come on! What were you about to say?" She reached out and grabbed Rei's arm. "You don't think I should stay here too, do you?"

For once, Rei had to think about that. Minako had said it so casually, but she somehow felt like it was a very serious question.

"Hmm...After all of the trouble we went through to find you, it would be a waste if you did." She felt Minako let go of her arm and tilt her head at her quizzically. "What's with that face? You can take care of yourself. It's your choice."

The Martian almost had a heart attack when Minako suddenly tackle hugged her, laughing. "AWWW~!! Did I ever tell you how much I love you, Rei-bear?"

"D-Don't call me that! What if someone hears?"

Minako's perked up at that. "Is that what you're worried about? Soooo...does that mean I can call you that if no one is around?"

"...Whatever. It's just a name." The Martian huffed. Noticing that she was letting Minako hug her a little too long, she stepped away and began to make her way towards the steps up to the door. "Anyway, you heard Haruka. If you're coming along, you better get ready and quick. We'll be leaving within the hour." She stopped in front of the door, noticing that Minako had suddenly gone silent. The Venusian hadn't moved from that spot since she pulled out of the hug; did she do something wrong. "Umm...Minako?"

"Right! Yeah, I heard...Umm... But, I was wondering..." She saw Rei arched an eyebrow. "Could I catch a ride with you?"

(Martian Shuttle, Rei's room)

Despite some minor setbacks, everyone had departed on schedule. The fleet had set a direct course for Pluto.

Rei found herself sitting her in room and was quickly becoming restless. She sighed to herself. Being on standby was terribly boring; while everyone was off doing who knows what, she had nothing to do. Normally she would sleep during these long trips, but her bunk was currently being occupied by someone else. She found herself staring at the reflection off of the glass. Off to the side she could see that Minako was peacefully snuggled into her bed.

_Hmph. So much for not being tired... _Rei absent-mindedly thought. _But I guess I can't blame her. She did just lose her entire family after all. _She allowed her gaze to linger for a moment longer. Minako's back was turned towards her. What had happened during their last private encounter still bothered her.

_She really doesn't remembering anything, does she?_

"_Wow, just look at you. You're all beaten up. What happened?"_

"_Oh. I see... Well, you know, these things just happen sometimes, I guess..." _

"You know...You really suck at pretending to be asleep."

There was a pause.

"Well, now I do." Rei could imagine the Venusian pouting as she said that. "And you know, you sigh a lot." She shot back.

"Is that so?"

"Mhmm..." Knowing that she had been found out, the blonde stretched languidly under the sheets and made a noise of contentment as she readjusted into a more comfortable position. "So...? A penny for your thoughts...?"

"...It's nothing important."

"Uh huh... Sure. No, really. What were you thinking about?"

"Stuff."

"...Like?"

"Just stuff."

Minako rolled her eyes and shifted on the bed to get a better look at the Martian. For a minute she stared at her in silence. "...I just don't understand you." This sudden confession caught Rei's immediate attention. "Why did you come all this way to save me if you were only going to ignore me? And don't even try to deny it. I _know _you were the one who saved me."

"W-What are you talking about?" Rei was beginning to panic. _Oh no, don't tell me she actually remembers that!_

"Taya told me. She said you found me unconscious, and that you brought me back."

"Oh." Somehow, that was more disappointing than Rei had expected it to be. "I see..."

"So...? Why did you do it? Honestly."

Rei opened her mouth and then closed it again. She had considered telling the blonde that it was a part of their contract that they made back on Mars, that it was her duty to protect her, but that was until she had used 'that' word.

"...Honestly? It's because we're friends...and it's what friends do, right?"

Minako was stunned by what she heard. _Friends...? You mean, she did it because she..._ It wasn't quite the answer she had hoped to hear, but it did bring a smile to her face nevertheless.

"Is that so? You know... I haven't told anyone else about this yet, but there's this gap in my memory."

"A gap? What do you mean?"

"Well, one minute, I remember seeing my mother dying...and then the next there was this bright flash of light. After that, it's all a blank. I just remember coming to in that room and you were all there." She waited to see if Rei would say anything, but when she didn't she decided to try and be a little more direct. "You found me, didn't you? Did you...see what happened to me?"

"I..." Rei realized her mistake and bit her lip.

"What did you see?"

"...Nothing."

"But--"

"Look. The important thing is that you're safe now, right?"

Minako couldn't understand why Rei was dodging the subject, but it did make her feel a little better to hear that she had been concerned about her well being.

"Oh. I almost forgot." Rei said suddenly.

"Hm?"

"You mentioned that you had a brother, right...?"

"Yeah. Eros."

"Is that... a nickname or something?"

"...Yeah. Why?"

"Because...I think I met him on the battlefield." She saw the woman suddenly sit up. "By the time I got there though, it was already too late. He was almost gone when I found him. But...I just remembered. There was something that he wanted me to tell you."

"...I'm listening..."

Rei took a breath. "He said that he already knew about what happened on Uranus...but, that it didn't matter."

"_Please save her._"

"He thought about you till the very end." She finished.

_Eros..._ Minako felt her heart ache. _Even when you were dying, you were..._

"I-I see... Yeah. That's just like him," Minako laughed and sniffed. She thought she had gotten over it by now, but it still stung. "He...He didn't die alone, right?"

"No. He didn't die alone..."

"Thank Goddess..." Minako quickly wiped the away tears and shook her head at Rei's inquiring gaze. "It's okay. I'm all right. It's just... thanks, Rei. I'm really glad that you told me that."

Rei awkwardly looked away. She didn't mean to make the woman cry again, but there was still something weighing heavily on her mind.

"Hey. There was also something else that I was thinking about. Do you remember what happened on Neptune?" She heard Minako quiet down. The atmosphere between them was very awkward again. "I--I didn't mean to slap you. You just surprised me, that's all." Rei's face was bright red now. "So I, I was just wondering... what was that all about? Is it some kind of weird Venusian custom or something?"

Minako blinked several times at her, before her eyes finally softened in understanding. Rei was surprised when the blonde stepped off of the bed and walked up to her. She turned around to see what was going on when she suddenly felt two hands resting lightly on her shoulders. Minako only hesitated for a second; before Rei could do anything, she bent down and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"Yup, you're right. It is a Venusian custom," Minako tapped her nose and beamed. "It's a Venusian custom just... for... you."

The Martian stared back at her with an 'I don't get it' look that brought the Venusian to giggle.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much. Anyway, I think I really will get some sleep. We still have a ways to go, right?"

Minako didn't even bother waiting for an answer before she jumped back into the bed and snuggled into the sheets. This time, she really did go to sleep and left Rei even more confused than ever before.

_...I don't get it. _Rei thought to herself. _If it's a custom, then why did she do it differently this time?_

(Martian Shuttle, Rei's room. Sometime later)

Sometime later, Rei had fallen asleep by the window. But her rest wasn't as peaceful as her companion's-- in her dreams, she found herself back on Mars. It was in her younger days while she had been living on the streets. She was sitting at the table in the same shady hideout they had found Nozomi. It was strangely quiet.

"_They're really not coming back, are they...?" _

The scene then changed, and suddenly she was looking into flames. Neptunalia; the moment she witnessed the Goddess of Neptune's demise. She felt an old wound from back then rip back open.

"**...It's a shame, isn't it?"**

_Huh?!_ She glimpsed the silhouette of a woman with long hair hidden in the shadows.

**Ping!**

Rei awoke on the alert. But as tempting as it was, she resisted opening her physical eyes and instead peered through her spiritual sight. She whipped her sight around the room and, to her bewilderment, she found no unusual signatures.

_They're not in here? Then--!! Are they outside?!_

The Martian expanded her range and began to search outside the ship when she was suddenly rebuffed by a powerful force.

_**Ping!**_

**"****I thought I sensed an unusual presence."**

_Wha----Wait!_

_**PING—BOOF!**_

A strong force collided with Rei's mind, catapulting her consciousness into space. Rei was seeing stars, literally. She was helplessly being pulled through as small specks of light streaked past at an amazing speed.

**…**_**ping…**_

**"… ****I see…You're Sir Ares's heir."**

_Who's there?! _Her consciousness painfully jerked to a stop when a small object came into her view. As if giving her head a shake, she slowly came to the realization that she was staring at a small, circular object. Why was she stopping here?

_Huh? Is that a planet…? _She scanned for the second presence and warily noted that they were still there, watching her. However, Rei wasn't about to let this opportunity go to waste; before anything else could interrupt her, she attempted to zoom-in onto its surface. All she saw was ice and rock.

_There's...nothing there. _She scanned the planet's terrain and found it absent of any signs of civilization.

_**PING!**_

Again she was yanked forward—this time, towards the heavenly body itself. _Woah! _Rei felt her mind unconsciously trying to brace herself for the inevitable collision, but it turned out to be a waste of effort because she fell harmlessly through the rock. A chill swept through her transparent self, but there was no pain.

When the Martian finally came to a stop again, the first thing she realized was that it was dark. Rei blinked and was partially taken aback by what she saw. She was surrounded by rock. It comprised the floor, the walls and the ceiling.

_Is this an underground chamber? _Rei wondered. It greatly reminded the woman of the underground chamber underneath Neptunalia. It was cold and dark, but there was a different kind of energy flowing through the walls. _This energy...it's alive. Then that means--_

_**Ping!**_

"…"

Rei went instinctively on guard. Someone was here.

_Hotaru--? __No, that isn't her_. _There's someone else here, someone much stronger. _She didn't like the feeling she was getting from them. Whoever this 'Witch' individual was, there was a chilling air to them. She couldn't even be sure that they were human; their aura was unmoving and unwavering, as though one solely existed for duty alone.

**Tup…tup…tup…**

Up ahead, a tall, slender figure came into light.

_Is that... the 'Witch'?_

The raven-haired woman flinched when she felt an intense gaze rest on them. It was a woman, a beautiful woman with long green hair and crimson eyes--she couldn't have been that much older than Haruka or Michiru at a first glance. Despite her young appearance though, Rei was apprehensive; there was an ancient, sad air to her that hinted the being was far older than she was letting on.

_Who are you?! And what did you do to Hotaru? _Rei threw her thoughts at her.

"…" The mysterious stranger held up her garnet staff in response, and the crimson jewel at its end began to emit a red light. Its intensity steadily grew brighter and as it did, Rei felt her consciousness beginning to recede.

_I-I'm going back?_

_Wait!_

_**PING—BOOF!**_

(Pluto)

The green-haired stranger stood motionless, even after she felt the other presence fade away. It had been mildly amusing to the woman that another's spirit had reached her despite the distance that separated them. There were only three others that she knew who possessed such a potential.

With that, the stranger raised her staff into the air once more and the jewel at its end began to glow again. A thin ray of crimson light shot out to the space directly in front of her, forming a small viewing sphere. The contents of the space were momentarily warped and cloudy until the haze dissipated and confirmed her suspicions. She unblinkingly watched the fleet of shuttles closing in onto her hideout. Judging by their velocities, rough estimate of mass, incoming angles and remaining distance, they would arrive according to her expectations.

"They are coming for you," Green hair whipped around as the mysterious person turned to gaze at her young charge. "Perhaps, this will be the time…"

… _To reveal the truth._

(After some time…)

The green haired woman waited patiently as the sound of footsteps closed in. She locked on and traced all of their signatures since their landing. There were six of them. Her senses were so well tuned that she could sense their auras invading into her sanctuary, and hear each individual's heart beat. They were on the surface, now at the entranceway. At the lead she saw the Martian and a short-blonde haired woman speaking to one another at the doorway of the cavern. They were strategizing—hoping to catch her off guard. Then one of them did something that she hadn't expected; the taller of the two women appeared to have lost her patience and was going to barge right in.

_How reckless._

Her crimson eyes narrowed and a slight frown creased her lips. She rarely let her thoughts wander—this time shouldn't be an exception.

**Tup! Tup! Tup!**

Time slowly ticked by as she waited for the expected confrontation. She knew that there would be many questions and that she would be the target of many accusations, but she knew this was her fate. She gripped the handle of her staff a little. When was the last time that she felt anxious?

**Tup! Tup! Tup!**

Finally, she heard a voice.

"YOU!" The tall, furious, ruler of the wind came barrelling into the room and didn't look like she was about to stop. Without so much as flinching, the green-haired woman calmly held out her hand and threw out a bolt of her power. Haruka yelped in surprise and was knocked right off of her feet.

_**Crackle!**_

"AHHHH!!!"

The Witch analyzed the blonde as she picked herself up off of the ground. There was a deep seated hatred gleaming in her dark green eyes and the way her adversary clenched her jaw, she knew that this being was on the verge of strangling the life from her very body on the spot. The only reason that she hadn't was likely because she just noticed the barrier behind her.

"What are you doing to Hotaru?! Let her go right now!" Haruka demanded.

Haruka's green eyes flickered to a spot behind her opponent to where Hotaru was being held. The girl's appearance was still that of a young woman. She was hanging suspended a few inches above the cold, rocky floor of the tunnel, and encased within the same sphere of light that had spirited her away. The vacant, distant expression in her normally bright eyes almost broke the blonde's heart.

"Didn't you hear me?!" She demanded more angrily this time. "I said let her GO!"

When the other woman continued to ignore her demands, Haruka wasted no time in transforming. If this stranger wasn't going to release Hotaru, then SHE WAS!

"World…"

The rest of group ran into the room as the attack was unleashed.

"Haruka…?!" Michiru cried, startled.

"SHAKING!"

**Bam- **_**Wrrrrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiir----KABLAM!**_

_Did I get it?_

There was a stunned silence as the dust particles began to clear. Everyone was surprised that Haruka lost her temper like that, but, more importantly, her attack had no effect on Hotaru's container.

"N-No way! That's impossible!" _There isn't even a scratch?! _The wind ruler was also shocked at her apparent failure.

_Just what is she?_ They all wondered of the green-haired stranger.

A loud thud echoed throughout the chamber when the stranger before them abruptly lowered her garnet rod to the floor. Was she requesting for silence? But who did she think she was to think that she could simply command a group as powerful as they were with a stick?

Rei narrowed her eyes warily as the red jewel on her rod reflected in her dark eyes. Her earlier encounter with the woman still disturbed her— the memory was an important testament to their adversary's capabilities.

"Finally, you are all here." The crimson-eyed woman stated slowly. There was a hint of distance in her whispery words. It was as if she hadn't spoken in a very long time and was trying to awaken the skill. "I have been waiting for your arrival for some time now."

Haruka continued to openly glare at the stranger, feeling her anger on the verge of flaring up again. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing on end as trace amounts of her golden aura sparked up dangerously around her.

"Yeah, but if you had extended the invite earlier, we could've been here faster!" She retorted.

"Haruka, please calm down." Michiru advised. She leaned in to whisper into her ear, "I understand how you feel, but it would be best not to do anything rash. Think of the position that we're in… that Hotaru COULD be in."

Her partner frowned, but reluctantly nodded. "Yeah, you're right... we still don't know what we're up against," she whispered back.

_Everyone is so tense._ Minako felt the air currents with her powers. All of her friends had the same turbulent air pressure around them. It was very similar to hers right before she gained the power to materialize it. They were all on guard.

_Is there going to be a fight?_

The stranger was the first to break the silence, and what she said was about to catch them all off guard.

"I am sure that you are all aware...that the former King, Apollo, is gaining strength."

Haruka's stance faltered. "So… you know about that bastard, huh?"

"Interesting. Then does that make you a friend or foe?" Ami stepped up. Everyone had noticed that the blue-haired woman hadn't dared to take out her computer and do an analysis on the stranger. "I don't mean to be rude, but if you would like us to trust you, then the least you can do is introduce yourself."

Their host closed her eyes momentarily, thoughtfully, before slowly opening them again. A tired expression lingered there.

"Very well… My name is Pluto Setsuna. However, in the past I was known as Meioh Setsuna. I was the head advisor to Sun King Apollo."

"Y-You mean you knew him PERSONALLY?!" Haruka exclaimed, expressing the shock that everyone was feeling. "Just how old ARE YOU?"

"Haruka!" Michiru exclaimed, although she was equally as shocked as her companion.

"I-I--" The blonde tried to say something else, but nothing reasonable would leave her mouth. Luckily for Haruka, Rei came to her rescue.

"So, you were his personal advisor. Then let's get to the point, shall we? Do you intend to cooperate with us, or are you the enemy?"

All talk ceased.

"You are jumping to conclusions." Setsuna replied monotonously. "I am no longer in Apollo's service but rather, the former Queen, his sister Serenity."

"Queen Serenity?" Minako questioned. She frowned before realizing why the statement had sounded so strange. "Wait. You mean, the guy married his own sister?"

Again, Setsuna closed her eyes in thought. There was a slight frown on her face. Then, as if having come to a decision, she tapped her staff on the floor. Instantly the entire room was engulfed in a bright light.

"Ah!"

"What's going on?!"

"I-I can't see!"

"…I will show you what you have sought, heirs and successors of the former court of Apollo."

**FLAAAAAAAASH!**

_The gloomy landscape melted away and was replaced by a vibrant, orange sky. Tall gold buildings rose up to meet their vision and glimmered with a radiant light like none of them had ever witnessed before. There was nothing that could parallel the artistic patterns carved within the gold, or the dome roofs of several of the more prominent structures. Everywhere and everything within this God-like paradise demanded respect, especially the breath-taking view of the castle that emitted the greatest source of light like a beacon amongst the city._

"The Sun was where King Apollo ruled." They heard Setsuna's voice rang out. "We, the servants and followers of his court had all once resided here. Each of your predecessors reigned as high Lords and Ladies who ruled their planets as representatives our King."

_The scene warped and changed to reveal a large courtroom. Sitting on a majestic throne, in its center, was an orange eyed, golden haired man. His purity was apparent in the air that he carried about him—and his smile and the kindness in his eyes, everything else seemed to dull in comparison. There was no denying that this was King Apollo. As he was, there was also no doubt that this God's existence deserved to be worshipped. It was as if it were a law decreed by nature itself. However, none of them could understand how someone such as this could also be the ruthless murderer that was out to kill them now._

_As for those that were gathered around him, the group perceived to be his subjects._

_There were two rows of people that especially drew Haruka, Michiru, Makoto, Ami, Minako and Rei's attention. Standing in front of the lower ranked subjects was the former rulers. Uranus, Neptune, Jupiter, Mercury, Venus and Mars-- all of them were healthy and well again, and they were dressed in royal garbs that boldly displayed their nobility statuses. It tugged at all of the heirs' hearts, making them ache, as the desire to reach out to embrace and converse—to be acknowledged—grew stronger, despite knowing that it was merely an illusion. They were all so preoccupied with their thoughts that they barely noticed that Setsuna's past self was standing beside the throne at Apollo's right hand side._

"We all had sworn loyalty to our King… We pledged to stay by his side for all of eternity. We were convinced it would be so, yet, one day, a peculiar change came over Apollo... one that none of us realized until it was too late. He had fallen in love with his twin sister, Artemis."

_A long, silver-haired woman approached the throne. All watched as Apollo warmly greeted his twin, affection shining in his orange eyes. Without hesitation the man invited the woman to stand by his side, where she gracefully accepted and took the opposite side to where his royal advisor stood. Any who had witnessed this ritual-like greeting concluded it was merely to honour the bond between the siblings, as one would to any close family member._

"However, when Apollo identified that his own feelings went beyond simple affection he began to lose his mind. He knew in his heart that he was supposed to be pure, to be a role model for all of his subjects…

Although he may have tried to hide this terrible secret for the sake of others, we all suffered the consequences. Soon after, the 'battles' began."

_**Clash! Tinz!**_

_Again the scenery warped, this time to a large battlefield within an arena. Below in the dirt filled ring was Ares and Aphrodite. The God and Goddess fought each other with all that they had, with each of them becoming increasingly exhausted as the seconds dragged on. Ares would repeatedly charge with his sword, surprisingly, aimed to not kill (as Rei, alone, would realize) but to injure. His opponent, Aphrodite behaved very similarly—the Goddess letting lose small bolts of her power to put distance between when it was required. Eventually their King would be satisfied. Eventually, he would tell them to stop. Once one of them was on death's door or he grew bored of the game…_

_The sight of the two fighting shed a new light on Rei and Minako's perspectives of their people. Although their predecessors may have not gotten along during their existence, it was apparent that they had no desire to finish the other off even when they were given the chance to. This was entirely different than the background that they were both raised in._

_But that still left the greater question of 'why' unanswered. How could Apollo force his subjects to fight one another? They all wondered._

_**Slash!  
Crackle!**_

"As time grew on, the kind light that Apollo ruled with faded." Setsuna went on to explain. "His eyes became listless and his hair--gray, leaving behind only a shadow of his former glory. Many times I had tried to convince him to confide his troubles in me, yet each and every time he refused. He would laugh and ignore my counselling. The rare instance where he seemed to regain a sense of himself appeared to be when he caught a glimpse of his sister.

However… eventually, even in the presence of Lady Artemis he would remain in this state.

His sister was the first to learn of Apollo's sinful feelings for her and at first, the kind Lady believed that she could convince her brother to return to the peaceful ruler that he once was…

…Unfortunately, her efforts were in vain.

As time passed, Apollo became more violent, demanding, bitter, and scornful. Once Lady Artemis realized how deeply rooted her brother's obsessions had become, she fled with a group of followers. They went to the Moon, a single, small, heavenly object orbiting about the Planet Earth.

…I knew of my Lady's plan… She came to me the night of their departure in hopes that I would leave with her.

I declined."

"_No, I'm sorry…" Setsuna shook her head. Disappointed was apparent in her Lady's light colored eyes._

"_Why?" She whispered. "Why won't you come with us? It is too dangerous to stay here!"_

"_I am well aware of that. However, I believe that one of us should stay behind for precaution's sake."_

"_But there are others."_

"_If you are referring to the planetary rulers, I'm afraid that is not possible. They spend the majority of their time governing their planets, and are rarely summoned to court. What I meant was... Someone is needed to stay here to keep a close watch over His Majesty."_

"_But is this what you really want, Setsuna?!"_

"_...I'm sorry. But it is my final decision." Setsuna bowed her head. "Good-bye, my Lady."_

There was a noticeable pause before Setsuna spoke up again.

"I soon heard rumours that Lady Artemis had cast aside her name and began to rule as Queen Serenity of the Moon. She and her people cut all ties to our King, and began to live prosperous, peaceful lives once again. However, Apollo appeared unperturbed by this; one day, during a stadium battle, he confided to me that he believed his sister would come back to him once she was finished with her 'temper tantrum'.

Lady Artemis… no, Queen Serenity never came back. Centuries later, the Sun Palace was in an uproar once again with news that Queen Serenity had finally given birth. She had given her people what they had asked… heirs, two twin girls. Lady Hotaru was one of them.

Apollo's Lords and Ladies went to show their respect for this new life. Our King, however, was seething with rage."

_The throne room came into view once again. King Apollo was hunched over his chair, breathing heavily as if he had received a life-threatening injury; beads of perspiration formed on his brow. Occasionally, a few of the drops would slide down the sides of his face. He never knew that his sister had found someone else, someone other than HIM._

_Who was it?! And why did she just give birth?_

"_These girls…" He whispered under his breath, his words dripping with loathing. "If Artemis really did give birth to them, then that would make those brats, my nieces, isn't that right?" He hesitated to call them his own flesh and blood for they were not entirely his. No… They were made from another, someone far inferior and unworthy of his sister's affections-- someone dirty. His nieces…_

"_Setsuna!" He summoned for his chief advisor. The other woman shortly appeared in the room with her garnet rod in hand._

"_Yes Your Majesty? Is there something you require of me?"_

_Apollo readjusted his stance and sat upright. The anger in his dim eyes was replaced by a sudden, suspicious openness._

"_Yes, I do. I heard a 'rumour' that my sister has given birth." He studied his advisor's calm face for any sign of surprise._

"_I see." Setsuna simply replied. Seeing hardly any reaction, the man continued on with his request._

"_I would like you to go to the Moon in my place and see whether these rumours are true. If they are, come back and inform me so that I shall go give them my blessings myself."_

"… _As you wish, Your Highness…."_

"As he had ordered, I departed the next day.

As soon as I arrived at my destination, I was immediately escorted to the throne room where Queen Serenity and her newborns resided."

_Setsuna stepped into the white marble throne room and was secretly amazed at how many guests and subjects that resided here in this 'new world'. There were many strange faces, yet the green-haired woman noticed that all of her former companions and planet rulers were present as well._

"_Setsuna!" Setsuna looked up in time to see Serenity descending the steps towards her with a smile. The chief advisor hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to react as the distance was closed, so instinctively she bowed her head in respect to her Lady, who, in turn, ignored this action and instead proceeded to hug the other woman-- startling her!_

"_Come now Setsuna, there is no need for that. We're friends, are we not?"_

_Setsuna blinked back in surprise. Already she felt the beginning of a rare smile coming on, but she immediately squashed the reaction upon reminding herself of their audience. She knew she would be under suspicion since she was, in technical terms, visiting on behalf of Apollo. The man's popularity had declined greatly over the recent centuries, heading in the opposite direction to his sister's. If all continued along this path, in due time the royal advisor was certain that there would be appeals that her Lady should become the official ruler of Gods._

_But that was only a hypothesis. She must deal with what was presented to her now. Setsuna wordlessly nodded in agreement._

"_Come, you must see them. They are absolutely adorable!" Serenity insisted._

_Setsuna was taken by the hand and led up to the throne where a nurse held the two newborns. Swaddled in cloth, the child in the woman's right arm was a beautiful golden-haired child; while in the left, there was a raven-haired baby girl. Both of them were sleeping soundly._

"The children were indeed an unusual sight…but it was not solely due to their physical aspects; their powers had already started to manifest. I had never thought that a newborn could be born with such powers at that age, yet these two baby girls were able to materialize energy right before my very eyes. It boggled the mind to think of what they may become…"

"_Setsuna...?"_ _Queen Serenity questioned the silent woman._

"…"_Setsuna felt a hand rest lightly upon her elbow._

"_Please stay…"_

"I never returned to Apollo."

**FLAAAAAAAASH!**

The red light receded, leaving everyone to find themselves once again within the cold, damp room.

"The key…" Haruka was the first to speak. "The other half of the key, could it be that other girl? Setsuna was it? Where is she now?! Is she still on the moon orbiting Earth?" Her patience nearly slipped when the woman held her silence. "Oh, come on! You've already told us this much so why stop now?"

"Haruka… if she won't talk about it, then don't push it." Neptune advised.

"Huh?"

"What's wrong? Do you know something that we don't?" Rei asked. Her senses had already caught on to the uncertainty in the aquamarine-haired woman's aura.

"Did something bad happen?" Minako questioned.

Everyone looked at her, suddenly very conscious of what they were speaking of: What if something in the past had gone terribly wrong? Minako had only gone through a tragedy of her own. Was it fair to dig into another while the wound was still fresh?

However, none of them could ignore the fact that she had spoken the very question that weighed heavily on all of their minds. What _did _Michiru and Setsuna know that they didn't?

"I'm sorry…" Michiru quietly apologized to Setsuna.

Setsuna was silent for a moment, but she shook her head in return to this display of sympathy.

"What's done, is done...No one can change the past."

The crimson-eyed woman then addressed the others, quite ready now to let them all in on their inside secret.

"Apollo never showed any reaction to my sudden disappearance, so I lived as the new advisor of Queen Serenity, in peace, on the Moon Kingdom.

Her children soon grew… opening their curious eyes with understanding to what this world of peace had to offer. Their mother often taught the both of them within the palace gardens. The three of them spent countless hours together in meditation and aura lessons.

One particular day… I happened upon a certain lesson, and noticed something peculiar. As I had suspected, since the first day that I had laid eyes on them, the children were developing into amazing beings. It was not long before the people heard of their future rulers' abilities. Some rejoiced, while others feared. The dark-haired girl, Lady Hotaru... her powers bent towards channelling darkness and destruction, unlike her sister, whose special talents were focused towards the healing and defence arts.

I should have taken these rumours into account… or perhaps, we should have watched them both more closely…"

"What happened?" Ami whispered. They were all anxiously waiting for the revelation that was about to be revealed to them.

"While they were still in their teens, a select few of the staff felt very threatened by Hotaru's power. So they aided Apollo in her kidnapping."

Everyone was shocked.

"No way! You mean they got rid of her because they were afraid of her? How cruel can you get?!" Makoto clenched her fists by her sides.

"That's terrible..." Minako whispered.

_The fools…_ Rei and Michiru agreed.

Haruka crossed her arms in a thoughtful pose. She knew what it was like without a family to go home to… But if they could return Hotaru to her family, would that make her happy? Could that be what she was reacting to?

"If that's the case then why don't we just take her home?" The tall blonde suggested. It seemed like the right thing to do.

However, Michiru thought differently.

"Haruka...Why do you think we found her on Saturn?" Her voice was barley higher than a whisper.

_**Lubb Dubb**_

"I-- Well, I don't know…"

"I'm afraid... we cannot take her home..." The shorter Goddess continued. "...because...there is no home for her to go back to."

Momentarily everyone was rendered speechless. What did Michiru mean by that? No, it couldn't be could it?

"The Moon Kingdom was destroyed shortly before the Battle against the Sun." Setsuna calmly stated. "Lady Hotaru… destroyed it."

"Hotaru…? But you can't really mean that." Minako choked out. "Hotaru would never do such a thing!"

Setsuna ignored the comment. As she continued, the images flashed through her mind's eye.

"It's true. Brought about by Hotaru's hand, buildings were destroyed, and people were killed… No one survived… Nothing did. It was all brought to ruin."

A scream resounded deep within her soul, making her heart skipped a beat.

"Nothing survived? If everything was destroyed, then how can you be here talking to us like this? You aren't dead." Rei pointed out. Setsuna kept eye contact with the Martian, yet she chose not to elaborate this tiny detail.

_She's not telling us everything. _Rei noted suspiciously.

"I had wished to discuss with you about another issue on hand," The guardian continued on. "One that may be essential to our survival..."

This time no one interrupted. They all waited for what this strange person was about to propose to them; she knew more than they did, what they had wanted to know and perhaps even more. Unspoken consensus agreed that this Setsuna person was very serious about her matters.

"We need to retrieve Lady Hotaru's heart." She finally said.

"Huh?" The group exchanged surprised looks.

"I will only say this once more. It was Lady Hotaru who brought ruin to the Moon Kingdom. However... she did not do it without feeling guilt. After she had seen what she had done, the guilt that she felt, like Apollo, threatened to consume her spirit with sorrow. She wished to repent…but she did not know how. In the end, the young Lady chose to seal away her heart and was reborn."

Minako turned her head and peered at Hotaru. It was as if she was seeing the girl in a different light now.

_So...You lost everything too… _ The frustration that she felt when she first stumbled upon the truth was still very vivid in her mind. _I guess we're both more alike that I thought._

_**Shhhsssss…**_

Hotaru twitched.

_Wait---did she just? _Minako wondered if the others had seen it too, but they were all intently watching her instead.

"W-Why are you all looking at me like that?"

"It was you who awakened Lady Hotaru." Setsuna answered.

"Me?"

"Yes. Until now, she has lived without any memory of the incident from long ago. However…on Venus, her feelings resonated strongly with yours, and it is because of that, that her spirit has awoken. This is what brings us to our current dilemma. While her body has reverted back to its true form, without her heart, she is still incomplete. Her current self has become unstable; this means that as long she is in this state, she will unconsciously try to repeat the past tragedy once more… instead, this time, she may bring ruin to us all. That is why it is imperative that we retrieve her heart as soon as possible." Setsuna stressed. "Even as I speak, she is slowly eroding away my barrier. I cannot hold Lady Hotaru with my own power for very long."

"I get it." Haruka spoke up. "So basically, you're the only thing that's standing between her and destruction. If you go down, we all do."

"..."

"But that's also why you can't go and retrieve her heart yourself. You might seem really powerful, but it's taking a huge toll on your strength to maintain this barrier, isn't it? How long have you been holding it again...? That's why... you told Michiru where you were. You wanted us to retrieve her heart for you. You need our help." She stared Setsuna straight in the eye and caught a glimpse of something behind her calm demeanour. "Heh. Fine. We'll cooperate with you for now, but on two conditions. First, you'll have to tell us where her heart is. And second, once this is all over, I want answers. No more secrets...Got that?"

The protective gleam in Haruka's green eyes calmed Setsuna's own wavering spirit a little. She still didn't trust the woman entirely, but in the case of her young charge there was nothing to be concerned about. They were both after the same thing: To protect her; it was that sentiment that stirred emotions that she thought were long dead.

_I must protect the children._ The green-haired woman reminded herself.

"Her heart is on Saturn." Setsuna finally said. "Although you may have found Hotaru's body there, you have missed her heart. Go there and find it."

Haruka didn't need to wait any longer. She didn't need to think twice about this; her instincts were telling her to go. There was no other explanation of why the young girl went berserk when she did, or why her powers were suddenly so great.

Haruka turned around and past everyone else when she paused at the entranceway.

"Just for the record... I still don't trust you completely. But if Hotaru is missing something, then I'll find it!"

She left the room.

Michiru followed shortly and in turn was followed by Makoto and Ami. But when Rei turned to leave after Minako, Setsuna called to her.

"Heir of Ares. You cannot go with them."

"Stop calling me that! I have a name!" Rei snapped back. "And why can't I go?"

_Rei can't come?_ Minako wondered, worriedly. She didn't like the sounds of this.

"The atmosphere of Saturn is unfit for humans." Setsuna explained.

_She knows that I'm not a--_ Rei realized.

"It is difficult as it is for a God or Goddess to tread upon that land; the poisonous gas that guards the young Lady's heart will undoubtedly kill you if you should persist."

"I'm stronger than you think I am. A little bit of poisonous gas won't stop me." She retorted.

Setsuna watched the Martian quietly for a moment. "This is not a question about power. It is simply because you are human. Your structure is different from theirs. From the moment you step onto Saturn, you will succumb to its atmosphere before you even reach the poisonous gas. Do you wish to burden your friends with the guilt of your death?"

That really got to Rei.

"Tch!" The Martian growled with a look of extreme annoyance. She knew she was being played, very well, but she couldn't snap back because she knew that her death would be the last thing Minako needed.

Taking this into account, Rei spun on her heel and stared Minako in the eye. She wasn't about to do nothing about this either.

"Rei… I can stay too," Minako offered.

"Don't be silly," Rei scolded and shook her head. It took the raven-haired woman everything she had to disagree with Minako and hide the disappointment inching into her voice. After finally finding each other again, she honestly didn't want to let the other woman out of her sight—especially to go to a dangerous planet with poisonous gases of all things.

"Think about who you are. What if something happens on Saturn and they need you? You can help them when I can't."

"But--" Minako held her breath when a red strand sparked in Rei's palm. Why did it look so familiar?

"Here, take this." Without waiting for the blonde to reply, Rei grabbed Minako's hand and there was a spark of power between them. The red strand briefly wrapped around their hands before slipping beneath the delicate skin that held it.

**Foom…foom…foom..**

Minako could hardly believe it. _It's so warm…! It's almost like it's…mixing with my own?_

"I can't go," Rei repeated. "But with this, I'll still be right there with you; anything that you see, I'll see. Anything that you hear, I'll hear too. If I can't go, then I might as well do something useful and act as a form of communication between our parties."

Minako searched her eyes for a moment. "...All right. I understand." She could understand the situation, but it didn't mean that she had to like it. They were finally beginning to understand each other and now they were going to be planets apart (literally). "Well...I guess I should be going now..."

"Yeah..."

The both of them stood there awkwardly. It felt kind of silly.

"I--"

"Actually!"

The two women stared at one another for a second, realizing that they were about to say something at the very same time.

"Umm... sorry, what were you about to say?" Minako asked. Behind the Martian, she could see Setsuna turn her attention away to reinforce her barrier around Hotaru. That was when she noticed Rei's face. "Rei...? Is everything all right? Your face is so red."

"Umm…well, about earlier. I-It was different." She stuttered out.

"Different?" Minako tilted her head.

"Your tradition," She muttered.

It took a minute before it clicked for the Venusian. "Oh! Right, well...you know, I thought you weren't...ready...? Yeah, ready! Soooo... I had to modify it. You know how it is!"

_It's really too bad. _She thought to herself. It would have been nice to passionately kiss the woman again.

"...You really think so? A-Actually...I think, I can handle it now..."

"Huh?" Minako tilted her head to the side and studied Rei's averted gaze. It then hit her, stunning her like a wayward meteorite had struck her. She had nearly forgotten about their new link.

_Wait. She can read my thoughts?! _The blonde woman saw Rei cringe at the mental screech. Apparently it was true.

But another thought entered the picture. If Rei had just read her thoughts, then she knew what she was thinking and was in fact responding to what she was contemplating at the time…

_Did she just say that she didn't mind if I…?_ She was sure that her eyes couldn't go any wider, but she was wrong.

Rei nervously glanced up as Minako approached her. The blonde wasn't thinking about anything now. There was only silence and the thick tension within the air that separated them.

Her amethyst eyes briefly met Minako's blues ones before falling down from that gaze. Her own gaze began to wander as she found a sudden interest in the woman's other facial features: The curve of her nose, how pink and soft those lips looked. Thoughts of that subject brought her cheeks to burn even more; _what in the name of Mars am I thinking? _What was she going to think next? That Minako's ears were cute? She would ponder on it, but what if Minako read her mind?

Minako giggled. "Hmm...I don't know."

_Stupid!_

"No, you aren't." When she heard Rei's thoughts go silent, she reached out and cupped the Martian's cheek. Rei went rigid. She kept thinking about the way it was on Neptune, and the anticipation was driving her crazy. As Minako started to lean in, her stomach was starting to do flip-flops. She wasn't going to do it like that again, was she?

When their lips were barely inches apart, Rei couldn't stop herself. She flinched. Minako, upon feeling this, let loose a small smile and quickly gave the other woman a peck on the cheek instead.

"Silly Rei-bear..." She sighed a little. _It's still the modified program for you. _Rei wasn't quite ready after all, but at least she hadn't entirely rejected her. "Well! I guess we'll just have to work on it later after I get back. So try not to cause too much trouble while I'm away!" She laughed, fully enjoying the shocked expression on the woman's face as she ran off.

"Y-You…! What are you talking about?!" Rei snapped back. Her face was flush with embarrassment now. Was she actually feeling disappointed? "You're the one who has to stay out of trouble!"

_Argh! I shouldn't have flinched! _Rei suddenly scowled and shook her head. She could still hear Minako laughing even though she had already disappeared out of sight. _You! Get out of my head! Next time, I'll show you who's on a modified program!_

As the uptight woman growled at an invisible person, Setsuna's gaze fell onto her for a moment. In her mind she was calculating.

_That one… has potential._

**

* * *

**

**Next up in HFD, Ch. 21: Hotaru's Heart**

**As the group of Goddesses embark to find Hotaru's heart, what are they about to discover on Saturn? How can one possibly find another's heart? Especially… if one did not know their own?**

**Meanwhile, Setsuna and Rei are going to have a 'talk'.**


	21. Hotaru's Heart

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Sailor Moon**

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(Later, Minako, Shuttle room)

Venus Minako found herself alone in her new shuttle room. The place was fairly quiet-- only the sounds of circulating air could be heard in the background. It was too quiet for Minako's liking; the Goddess paced around for a moment, stopping in front of the desk, briefly tapping her fingers on the chair, before she sighed and walked over to the window to gaze out of it.

_There are so many stars out here..._ She thought to herself as she leaned onto the window's ledge. _I wonder how Rei's doing right now. _

She paused, half-expecting to hear a sharp retort any second. But when she didn't hear anything, she sighed again.

_I haven't heard anything from her in awhile. Did we lose the connection because of the distance? _She was disappointed, but, inside, she also, strangely, felt like a part of her was relieved.

"Hah. Oh well. I guess... that's just how it goes sometimes." She tried to smile, but in her reflection she could see past her own facade. The smile was there, but there was sadness in her eyes.

Minako pressed one hand to the glass and felt its coolness under her fingertips. She couldn't get their parting on Pluto out of her head.

_I almost kissed her again... _It nearly happened after they had left Venus and now it nearly happened on Pluto as well. She was disappointed, but in herself.

"What was I thinking…?"

_Isn't this why this tragedy happened in the first place? My family and all of those people who died for us...! They're all dead now because...because... _"...Of me."

The woman felt her chest tighten painfully. It wasn't fair.

_If only I had been strong enough to defeat it. I know what I saw. That aura that I sensed in the Queen's Chamber...There was so much bloodlust in it. And his laughter! _It was so very vivid in her memory that it almost brought her to shiver. _There's no doubt about it. That power belonged to a God, and there's only one God who's missing amongst us. _

_Ares._

_Ares killed my family. _Minako concluded with certainty. However, along with that certainty was another uncertainty of its own; one that she could not stop herself from thinking before it reached her consciousness.

_And Rei... is Ares's heir. _Her blue eyes widened at the implication. "No, what on Venus am I thinking? Rei wasn't the one who murdered them! She's nothing like Ares… She's better than that murderer; she's kind and caring."

_She saved me..._

_She's my friend!_

_... But still. Oh, I don't know! _The blonde woman gave out a small, frustrated sigh. There was just so much to consider. _She said that we were friends, so... she couldn't ever like me in that way, could she? The only reason she lets me get away with 'it' is because she thinks it's a Venusian tradition. _It was the only reason Rei let her that close. She did feel a bit guilty about it. _But, even if she ever did fall for me someday...things are different now. I'm no longer the same person that I used to be. I have a lot more responsibilities now! Can I really forsake my duties just because I'm in love? _

_I'm the only survivor of my family. Mother said that I was supposed to succeed her... And it's true, my body feels so different. I'm really a Goddess now. A true Goddess. But...why am I still running away? Because of my weakness, Taya is stuck with the huge mess that I left behind! Everyone is undoubtedly struggling at home. There was just, so much destruction... _

It wasn't fair.

_While they're all hurting, I'm thinking about myself. It feels like, I'm betraying everyone for being like this, for liking her... It's not right. It's incredibly selfish of me, isn't it...?_

The blonde took in a deep, shaky breath, trying to calm her guilty heart. There seemed to be no way out of it. She was cornered, chained by this false newly acquired freedom.

_I'm a terrible person._

Someone outside knocked on her door.

"Come in." The door slid open and she could see that it was Haruka.

"Hey. I hope I'm not disturbing anything, but we're all meeting in the bridge right now. Can you come?"

(Minako, Bridge)

Soon they were all in the bridge. Makoto, Ami, Haruka and Michiru were all grouped around the center table. They were all actively discussing their plans for their mission. It was an ongoing cycle that appeared almost comical to the mute Venusian: Haruka would suggest something and then Makoto would agree. Then the idea would be quickly shot down by Ami and Michiru's logical/analytical reasoning. Normally Minako would have laughed at their silliness, at how they argued with one another over a dead point. Normally she would have said something that was even more ridiculous than the argued suggestion, but not this time. She was still trying to wrap her thoughts around the seriousness of their situation--of what her goal was now.

_That's right. We're in a war right now… We have to find Hotaru's heart. We have to win! Otherwise... countless of people will continue to die. I don't want that. I don't want anyone else to be sad. _Her hands tensed in her lap. _I have to find Hotaru's heart, no matter what the cost… I have to do everything I can to help end this war. I have to concentrate…only on…_

Minako scanned the faces around the table and found herself once again envious of her friends. It was no longer their difference in strength or the issue of them being the chosen heirs that would lead their people-- she was envious of their happiness. Each and every one of them was a great and experienced leader. But, more importantly:

_They can love whoever they want to love. I'm a bit envious of them._

Minako was not naïve as she once was, and it saddened her. Being ignorant wasn't this painful.

**"**_**Mina, is something wrong?"**_

The voice caught the blonde woman off guard, momentarily startling her. Did she hear what she thought she had just heard?

"…_Rei? Is that you?"_

**"**_**No. This is just the random voice in your head and you're going insane. Of course it's me! Who else would it be?"**_

"_Wow, someone's cranky."_

**"**_**I heard that."**_

"_Hey... I didn't mean it like that. It's just...you never called me that before. It made me really happy."_

"_**..."**_

"_So, where were you? You just stopped talking for awhile there. I was getting a bit worried."_

_**"**__**I didn't mean to make you worry. I didn't say anything for awhile because I was trying to keep track of your presence. It's just... this distance. As the distance between us increases, it becomes harder to maintain the connection. But it's nothing to worry about. It won't break. It just means that when we talk to each other, you have to consciously want to."**_

"_Oh, I see. So instead of automatically hearing my every thought, you'll only hear what I want you to."_

**"**_**Yes, exactly."**_

_Heh, I kind of like that idea._

**"**_**It works vice versa as well."**_

_Darn..._

**"**_**But even if you don't talk to me, I'll still be able to sense your thoughts. Like just now, it felt like something was troubling you. Is there something on your mind?" **_

Now that Rei had mentioned it, she could detect the small bit of warmth mixed in with her aura. It was just fainter, that's all.

_She still cares about me. _It dug the guilt in further.

"_I'm fine Rei. Really."_

Before Rei could protest, someone else had noticed the blonde's strange behaviour.

"Minako?" Ami asked.

"Huh?" The woman's head shot up to see the rest of her company watching her intently.

"Is there something wrong?"

"What? O-Oh no! It's nothing really!" She laughed. However, this time it wasn't very convincing. "Umm...Why do you ask?"

"Well, you haven't said a single word since you got here," Makoto gently pointed out. "We were wondering if you were feeling okay."

"Well..."

"Yes, if there is something on your mind… we would be more than happy to listen if you wish to talk about it," Michiru offered.

Their kindness touched her, really. However, it was making the Venusian feel bad.

_Look at me. I'm worrying everyone again…_

"I'm sorry guys. I'm fine, really. I guess...I'm still trying to wrap my head around everything. It's kinda a lot to take in."

"Yeah, I can't argue with you there." Haruka quipped.

"Anyway, so what were you saying?" Minako quickly changed the topic.

"Hm? Oh… Well, we were just discussing the terrain conditions on Saturn," Haruka filled in. "Just speaking from experience, it's brutal. There's no other way of putting it. The land there is cold and barren, and there's purple smog everywhere! There no way a normal person could possibly survive it. I mean, we were lucky as it was. At first, I couldn't help but wonder if Michiru had somehow gotten the reading wrong, that the key—I mean… that Hotaru was there. You see, when we first started looking for her we weren't even sure of what to look for. We never imagined that it would look like a kid, or that it could possibly exist on a place like that."

"So, then how did you find Hotaru? Wouldn't her heart be near where you found her?" Minako reasoned.

"We were just wondering about that too," Makoto agreed.

"Yes, it would be the most logical place to look first." Ami nodded.

"Normally that would be the case," Michiru said slowly. "However, we were not the ones to find Hotaru. She found us."

"…Okay. So what you're saying is that we have some serious searching ahead of us. But there's no way we can search the entire planet, especially with our time crunch." Makoto followed up.

Minako saw the corners of Haruka's mouth tug upward. "Hm? Well, you look confident about something. Do you have a plan?"

"It's all taken care of." Haruka admitted with a nod. "Our ship's computers have already minimized our search to one area. Granted, it still might take awhile... but then again it might not. Who knows? It's all we've got though. Did Rei get all of that?"

"_Rei…?"_

**"…**_**Yes, I did."**_

"She did." Minako confirmed.

"All right then," Uranus yawned and stretched her arms. "I don't know about you guys, but I think there's no point in worrying about it right now. Until we get to Saturn I think we all should get some rest. Do everything you need to do now… you know, eat, sleep, think... go to the bathroom, whatever… just get it done because Saturn is a hell of a dangerous place." Haruka yawned again sleepily. "Hmm… I sure could use a nap."

There was a moment of silence and odd stares; the 'supreme warrior of wind' looked like she was about to pass out. How could she be so relaxed?

Groggily the shorthaired blonde walked past her friends and paused at the doorway.

"Get some rest." She turned her head and shocked the group with suddenly intense green eyes. "Got it?"

"Mm." The others nodded.

(Rei, Pluto)

"What is the status of their progress?"

Rei opened her eyes to mere slits, only enough to stare at the familiar back. In front of her Setsuna had taken a position to maintain Hotaru's barrier. She was holding her staff vertically upright in the air with both hands in front of her; the reflective jewel at its end was glowing brightly.

"They are closing in on Saturn." Rei reluctantly replied. A bead of perspiration finally broke loose and ran down her the side of her cheek. The Martian's entire face was flush as it was when Minako had left her earlier. For the last five hours, at least, she had stood upright, legs shoulder width apart, with her hands interlocked in symbolic meditation.

Setsuna carefully peered over one shoulder, cautious not to break the bond that she held, to briefly inspect her sole companion.

"You... are struggling."

Rei was taken aback by the blunt comment. It was rare for someone to be so forward with her, but she supposed it wasn't impossible if the individual was a silent snob.

"I never asked for your opinion!" She retorted. When Setsuna said nothing, Rei growled, "Would you please stop staring like that? Look, I'm fine, okay?! Do you want to know their 'progress' or not?"

"Is that your true motivation? To act as a line of communication for someone such as myself?"

_What? _The raven-haired woman's eyes widened further, so fast, that she almost lost the connection.

"To reach across the universe with one's soul, one must first possess an amazing spiritual gift… A gift with the strength to reach across time and space despite the distance, its heavy burden. As the soul ventures forth and embarks on a journey outside the limits of the physical, the connection to the body wavers. Do you not feel such a strain…?" Crimson eyes met intense amethyst. "The distance will continue grow. Can you maintain your balance, and not fall along the way?"

"I told you, I'm fine." Rei repeated sternly. _What on Mars is she going on about now? _She had no patience or concentration to spare for deciphering the cryptic sayings of a stranger she had only met. "If anything, I think you should be worrying about yourself first. If that barrier goes, then we'll both be in trouble."

Setsuna returned her gaze to her charge, leaving the Martian to concentrate.

_Heh. Potential indeed… _The former advisor contemplated in a rare moment of amusement. Although her companion was struggling to uphold her pose, the woman's aura had not decreased one bit since the group had left. Her energy still burned strong. However, Setsuna's own…

Setsuna felt the burden continue to build steadily upon her shoulders. It has been some time now since she had initiated the barrier. Even she was aware that she was not immune to physical exhaustion.

_Please return quickly…_

"They're there." Rei's voice rang out.

(Minako, Saturn)

"We're here." Haruka announced as the shuttle door extended to the barren ground below. "Be careful to watch your step. The smog looks even thicker than the last time we came here."

One by one the group descended down the metal steps, their footsteps clanging loudly until they reached the planet's dirt surface. It was just as Haruka and Michiru had promised—there was a thick fog that shrouded the entire area. It pooled the most heavily along the ground, but there was enough of it in the air to terribly diminish their vision and make it difficult to breath.

Almost immediately Makoto, Ami and Minako all coughed violently in reaction to the mist.

"O-Oh dear..." Ami squeaked. Her blue eyes were beginning to water. Makoto wasn't fairing much better.

'W-What is this stuff made of?"

Minako, however, struggled with the condition the hardest.

_I-I can't breathe! The air-- it's so heavy…! _The blonde let out another string of coughs, her chest was heaving heavily for some respite. She never thought it would be this hard. She was beginning to panic.

"Minako, listen to me. Try to relax." Haruka advised. "I know it might sound stupid, but you have to trust me on this. Your body is adjusting to the atmosphere right now. The best thing you can do is let it happen. If you try to fight it, the poison will just spread faster through your system. It will only hurt more!"

Despite the warning, Minako instinctively felt her mind trying to resist the process. It registered pain and panic, nothing more. As a result the poison was spreading at a dangerous rate, faster than her body could convert it.

A cool hand found its way under her chin. Minako was coaxed to look up to see Michiru's gentle, but firm gaze focused on her.

"I know it is difficult… However, you must calm down. Concentrate, and slowly release your aura. What you need to fight against is not yourself, but against your natural instincts towards fear." Neptune advised.

**"****She's right. You need to try and relax."** Rei encouraged.

_But I AM trying! _Minako protested. She couldn't understand why her body was as stiff as a board.

Rei sensed the woman's confusion.

**"****When our muscles become too tense, our aura is restricted.** **Right now, you're too tense to release a sufficient amount of power. That's why you need to relax!"**

From Pluto, Rei could feel Minako's powers continue to diminish. With a grit of her teeth, she shot off a mental command.

The Venusian was startled when the connection between them suddenly sparked. The red threads inside of her began to glow and flow into her muscles, soothing her frazzled nerves and dilating the veins and arteries. As a direct consequence, the poison infiltrating Minako's system abruptly slowed in its advance against the Goddess's vengeful, rapidly building immunity system.

A few seconds passed, followed by moments of final resistance before Minako's body suddenly went limp and crumpled to the ground.

"Minako!" Everyone cried.

"Minako, say something!"

_Is she…? _Haruka thought fearfully. Already she could feel herself regretting the decision to bring Minako along; maybe she hadn't been ready after all. The woman's green eyes scanned the younger woman's body in search of signs of life.

_Ah! Wait a second._

Upon closer inspection she could make out the soft rise and fall of the Venusian's chest. Minako's breathing rate was beginning to stabilize. After another minute, the Goddess stirred and immediately went to push herself back onto her feet.

_Thank the Gods. _Uranus sighed in relief.

Michiru heard her partner softly sigh behind her and she felt her own relief washing over her.

"Are you all right?" Michiru asked.

"I-I think so…" Minako blinked back in confusion. Her blue eyes were a little unfocused, but their intensity was quickly returning. "But...what just happened?"

"It's like I said. Your body was adjusting to the smog." Haruka told her. "It's like a poisonous gas, so it'll really give your system a nasty jolt if you're not ready for it."

_Yeah, but it really felt like I was going to die. Am I the only one who had this much trouble adjusting?_

"I wouldn't worry about it. The very same thing happened to Haruka as well," Michiru said, as if she had read the younger woman's mind.

"You mean she actually collapsed too?"

"Mhm."

"Hey!"

"Hush now, love... as you said, it's not a big deal. I think... the reason why the two of you had more difficulty than the rest of us is because you had only ascended recently."

"Oh yeah... I think you mentioned something about this before." Haruka nodded thoughtfully.

"Well, I don't," Minako said. "Would someone please explain to me what you're talking about?"

"Actually, it's kinda of a long explanation." Haruka laughed nervously. "Some of the terms are kinda long and complicated, and we're kinda on a time crunch, but all you need to know is that this is the reason why we couldn't bring Rei with us."

"You mean, only Gods and Goddesses can survive here."

"Yes. That's precisely it," Michiru confirmed. "However, it would be rather rude of us not to tell you why. First of all, I'm sure that you've noticed that when an individual ascends to the position of a God or Goddess there is a fundamental change in the user's body. One of these changes is the addition of a mechanism to the individual's immunity system. It is constantly changing and adapting to accommodate for the prevention of diseases. This fog, for instance, is a poison. It's not directly a disease, but it does attack the immune system. Therefore... since none of you have ever encountered something like this prior to now, your body had to adjust to it. Even as we speak now, you are still adjusting."

"I see. So, if Rei was here... She would have died."

"**..."**

"Yes."

"Hey, guys, we're on a time limit, remember?" Haruka pointed out "We really need to get this search on a roll."

"Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry..."

"Not a problem. Anyway, the three of you should be fine from here on out. But if anything suddenly feels strange, let us know immediately."

"Right." They all nodded.

"All right. Now what to do..." The wind ruler changed her focus onto their surroundings. It was still as bleak as she had last remembered it. "I don't think we should be splitting up in these conditions, so I want us all to move as a group. If by any chance one of us gets separated, then stay where you are and throw out a handful of aura threads. That's how we'll find you if you get lost. And lastly... if you sense anything strange, and I mean _anything_, alert the group right away. Just because a person can't survive out here, it doesn't mean that there aren't any other dangers lurking around."

_Who knows what could be lurking out there since I was last here._

"'Kay, it sounds like we're all set. Where do we start?" Makoto questioned.

"Michiru?" Haruka passed on the leadership role.

The Goddess's gaze went momentarily vacant and was filled by a strange light until she raised her arm and pointed to a general direction.

"There is a foreign presence in that direction…" She slowly analyzed. "However, I cannot distinguish whether or not it is Hotaru's. This entire planet is inhabited by a strange energy. It is everywhere and appears to be constantly fluctuating. My suggestion is that we investigate with caution."

"Fair enough. Let's go then."

As they all ventured out after Michiru, a movement in Minako's peripheral vision caught her eye.

The blonde turned on the spot.

"Huh?" She paused, silently scanning the area with furrowed eyebrows. "Did I just...? I thought-- I just saw something…"

**"****Mina, they're leaving you behind!"**

"Ah? Oh!"

And while the blonde raced to catch up to the group, she wondered whether or not Rei had sensed it as well.

"_Rei…?"_

**"****What is it?"**

"_Did you…"_

**"****?"**

"_I thought... I saw something out there."_

**"**_**Did you see what it was?"**_

"_No. I'm afraid not."_

**"**_**Keep an eye out for now. If you sense something again, let the others know right away."**_

"_Right."_

(Rei, Pluto)

"Setsuna, was it?"

The green-haired woman was so focused on her work that she had barely heard the other woman call to her. The request for her attention would have fallen onto deaf ears altogether if it had been by any other title, anything other than her name. Being alone for so long, she supposed that her name would have vanished into the flow of time altogether. Thus it was a shocking surprise to hear it resurrected again.

Setsuna kept her surprise to herself, but she answered the Martian nevertheless.

"Is there something that is disturbing you?"

"I have a question for you. Saturn is a dangerous place. It's so poisonous, that it's impossible for any living being to set foot there. However...is it possible for something, _non-human_ to inhabit the place?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"Why? I thought that was pretty obvious. You have more than enough power to block out Michiru's spells, and you can hold Hotaru back single-handedly. As much as I hate to admit it, that means you've got a lot of power. It might even be possible...for you to see the future."

Setsuna was silent for a moment. "You and the successor of Neptune do not seem to get along."

Rei twitched. _Butting into my private life AGAIN! _"That's not the point. Do you know the answer or don't you?"

"..."

_Not going to say anything, huh? _"Fine. Then how about this? What will happen to them once they find Hotaru's heart?"

"…I do not know."

"What do you mean you don't know?!"

"It is as I said. The young lady is mysterious in her own way. The future…" She continued, "…is clouded, even to my sight."

_So I was right! She can see the future! _Rei supposed she shouldn't have been as surprised as she was; after all, the former chief advisor of Apollo must have had some special abilities to inherit such a position.

"So you really can't see anything." The raven-haired woman pursued.

"Nothing of the future is certain. All one may see are its possibilities. That woman… Lady Neptune, I suppose I should say, has gained the ability to glimpse these possibilities as well."

_Yeah, isn't Michiru special?_ The Martian instantly retorted. If Setsuna had sensed the her companion's displeasure, she ignored it.

"However… Even as talented as she is, she cannot reach the same distance that you are currently exhibiting."

Rei was knocked speechless. "What? What are you getting at...? It's not like it's a big deal or anything." She would have averted her gaze if she could, but she was currently upholding the spell. "I'm sure she could do the same thing if she tried."

"Do you really believe that?" Again, she surprised her. "There is a power that you possess...that only a few know of."

"Oh... you mean that." Rei said quietly. "Heh, I wouldn't really call it a power. It's more like a nuisance if you ask me."

"It is a God's technique... one that was forged by Ares himself." By now, Rei didn't even bat an eye. "Due to its...adverse effects, it should be impossible for a normal individual to wield it. However, you can and have. Thus, it is also the reason for your current ailment. If it continues, in due time you will--"

"Stop." She heard the woman pause. "Whatever you do, please don't tell the others about this. They don't know about it."

"...Do you ever plan on telling them?"

"No."

"Then what do you intend to do about it? I thought that you were concerned for their safety."

"I am." She thought about Ami's gun tucked in beneath her clothing. "But as long as I have this medication, they should be safe."

"I'm afraid...That alone won't be enough."

Rei was lost for words. "W-What did you just say?!"

"The medication that you use now is only a temporarily relief. It will not be enough to spare you from your fate."

There was a frown on Rei's lips. "I know. But you don't have to say it like that. I know...better than anyone what it'll do to me!"

"Yet you would not search for the only cure?"

Rei felt as though the wind had been kicked out of her.

"You told Uranus that there was no cure. That was a lie. You...do know of one."

All of this talk was really starting to piss Rei off.

"Back off!" She snarled. "That's none of your business! Why on Mars do you care about it so much anyway?!"

"You just reminded me of someone. That's all..."

_Huh? _The confession caught the Martian off guard. "Who?"

"One who also believed that their fate could not be changed," The green-haired woman replied solemnly.

"Fate..." Rei wondered aloud. "Are you saying that you really believe in something stupid like that?"

"You don't?" Setsuna calmly asked.

"Well, what about you?" Rei countered. "From the sounds of it, you've lived for quite some time. I'm sure you have something to say about it."

"I had once believed that some things were inevitable, that some are impossible to change," Setsuna finally said. "However..._she_ believed that this was not the case."

"She?"

"...A good friend of mine."

Rei was starting to get a bad feeling about this. "So, this good friend...Where is she now?" She noticed that the former advisor wasn't even looking at her now. "...I'm sorry. It wasn't any of my business to ask."

Rei was about to lose herself in work again until something else came to mind. Her eyes shot back open.

_What if--?_

"Setsuna!"

"I am fine."

"But--"

**"****Rei!"**

_Minako?_

(Minako, Saturn)

**"****What's wrong?!"**

"_Something really weird is happening! I don't know what's going on! We were just walking, and all of the sudden the fog started to get really thick!"_

Minako squinted at the mist, trying to keep an eye on her friends. _Erg--this mist! What's going on here? _She shivered. It was so cold that her teeth were almost chattering.

Up ahead, everyone else was having similar thoughts. Ami, Makoto, Haruka and Michiru were all doing their best to keep their guard up.

_It is just me, or is it getting colder? _

_I really don't like the looks of this..._

_Something's definitely feels fishy about this place. _

_We must be getting closer._

The air around them was changing. But what's more, it felt like the mist was closing in around them.

For the next few minutes, no other sound could be heard except for the sound of their hearts pounding loudly in their ears. Eventually, the distinct noise became so pronounced that they all thought they were having trouble hearing; was it just them, or did it sound like their hearts merged into one beat?

_Rei… do you hear that? _Minako tensed up fearfully.

**"****It sounds like a… heartbeat?!"**

They all came to a stop, but the mist continued to get thicker.

"Damn it! I can't stand it anymore! Come out, wherever you are!" Haruka summoned up a portion of her power. "Take…this! HAAAH!"

**CRACKLE!**

The golden bolt charged through the smog, but it hardly had any effect on the entity. But she wasn't about to let that deter her.

"Come on--!"

**CRACKLE!**

"Why isn't this---"

**CRACKLE!**

"--doing anything?!"

**CRACKLE!**

"ARGH!" Haruka let out a frustrated roar as the fog rose higher into her line of vision. She was already so blinded that she never noticed the other's disappearing from sight.

"It's--" Ami disappeared behind the veil.

"--Too fast!" Makoto shouted, and she too disappeared.

Minako watched horrified as her friends disappeared from sight. For a brief moment she could still hear Haruka stomping about in a fit of rage, but eventually that too was swallowed by the fog. She suddenly found herself very alone.

"Guys...?" Minako whispered. Unconsciously she stepped back when she meant to step forward. "W-Where did everyone go?"

**"****Don't move."** Rei advised.

_Huh? Oh, right! Haruka said we shouldn't move if we get lost!_ The woman gathered her power and was about to send out a beckon when Rei interrupted her.

**"****Forget about that! We aren't alone! Can't you feel it? There's a huge energy heading this way!!"**

"What?!"

_**Ping!**_

_Oh my Goddess-! I-It's huge!_

Minako whirled on the spot when she thought she saw movement from the corner of her eye again.

"W-Who's there?" This time, however, the blonde woman was certain that she was being watched; a shadow of a person flickered in and out of the mist. Every time the Venusian ruler thought she spotted the figure, it retreated promptly into the foggy veil. Their movements were almost ghostly, too fluid to be a normal being. It gave Minako the chills just thinking what this entity could do if she were ambushed.

_Damn. Everytime… I think I… See them… THEY MOVE!_

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Someone screamed.

**"****What was that?!" **Rei demanded.

"T-That…"

"_That __sounded like Ami!"_

More screams filled the air. Quickly after there followed explosions and sounds of a fierce battle.

Minako was momentarily paralyzed. _W-What should I do?_ The ground beneath her suddenly began to shake. Before she knew it the vibrations were gaining power, as if the wave was charging towards her.

**RMM…RMM…RMM…  
SHROOOM!**

A large object flew through the fog and blinded Minako. The blonde barely let out a screech when something wrapped tight about her waist and threw her up into the air within its clutches.

**"****Minako!"**

"AHHHHHH!!!!!!"

Her movements abruptly halted mid-air, and finally she was able to see what had ambushed her.

_W-What is that? _She gasped. _Is that, a tree root?! _

Below where she was held the blonde woman noticed that the smog below had cleared. Tracing the root down to where its source was she could make out a cage-like aggregate of similar vines. Out of her peripheral vision Minako could make out the others engaging combat with the enemy, but her true focus was on a glimmering light caught between the mass of branches below. As soon as she laid eyes on it, her heart skipped a beat.

_Is that it?!_

The enormous vine-like entity immediately tightened its hold on its victim, crushing Minako hard. She screamed again.

"Hold on!" Haruka shouted to her. But the tall ruler already had enough on her plate as it was. She could barely make two steps towards the Venusian before another root cut her off.

"Damn!" _Not again! _"HAH!"

_**Crackle!**_

"Ah… A-AHHHH!" Minako repeatedly gasped. She could swear that she could hear her bones cracking inwards.

_Am I going to die? _She desperately tried to move her arms, to do SOMETHING! That was when it really begun to sink in; she couldn't expect anyone, especially her brave brother, to save her again. _Eros..._

**"****Mina, hold on, I'll---"**

"DON'T!"

**"****What?" **Rei remarked incredulously. Did she hear what she thought she heard?

"Don't do anything Rei! Don't interfere! Let me… ugh… do this by myself!"

**"****But you'll die if you don't do something soon!"**

"_Heh. Don't worry. I won't die."_

_**Fwoooooo---**_

"**What are you doing?!"**

Minako clenched her fists by her sides and felt the rest of her muscles tensing up in unison. As her power became restricted, the pain from the fog increased. _C'mon Minako...__Concentrate on the power, not the pain_.

Rei freaked when Minako suddenly went limp in their enemy's grip.

**"****Minako!"**

The crushing grip that sought to initialize the finishing blow was rebuffed violently by a orange light. All of the pent up energy was unleashed like a flood; its levels was soaring to great heights and materialized around the Venusian with dangerous intensity.

"Take… THIS! HAAAAH!"

_**CRACKLE-------KABOOM!!!**_

The blonde woman fell to the ground as the leftover pieces of the root scattered lifelessly below her. As soon as she touched the hard, rocky surface, Minako sprinted forward with her eyes on the goal-- the glimmering light. She wasn't about to get there easily however; more branches at its base shot forward to challenge her.

"Minako, what are you doing?!" Makoto cried out. The tall woman swung her spear around and destroyed the root that had been aiming to pierce her athletic frame. "Hah!"

_**SLASH!**_

"Look out!" Michiru warned the Venusian as she took out another root.

_**CRACKLE!**_

_**Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!**_

Minako ignored the surprised cries thrown her way. The others must have not seen what she had.

As she encountered the first vine, she heard Rei shout,

**"****Go right!"**

She faithfully followed the instruction. As the large snake-impersonating object flew past her, Minako flicked her hands and summoned up two large, golden chains. She didn't hesitate to put them to use.

"HAH!"

_**SWING!  
**_  
_Watch me Rei. I can do this myself! _She gasped when one of the root pieces began to squirm again. _Goddess, these things regenerate?!_

_**SWING!  
SWING!**_

**"…****Do you still think that I'm trying protecting you? That I'm trying to baby you?"**

"…"

**"****I'm not fighting for you! I'm fighting with you! Don't go dismissing an advantage in the battlefield so easily!"**

"_Jeez… You're just so STUBBORN!"_

Neither woman could help but smirk at this turn of events.

**"****Ready?"**

"Ready!"

_**Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!**_

"**Left!"  
"Up!"  
"Watch your back!"  
"Right!"**

_**Swing!  
Swing!  
Swing!  
Swing!**_

As Minako closed in onto her target, and the roots were taken out one by one, the other Goddesses finally caught a glimpse of the glimmering light as well.

_That's what she's after! _Haruka, Michiru, Ami and Makoto realized.

Uranus smirked; no matter how many they destroyed these things kept coming back. Why wasn't the solution obvious?

"Okay! So why don't we show these things what we're made of?!" She roared.

Following Uranus, everyone charged up their powers. There was a brilliant flash of light as four blasts of energy all converged and disintegrated all resistance.

_**Crackle—  
Crackle---  
Crackle---  
Crackle---  
Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen- KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**_

Minako braced herself against the blast as a rush of air flung up into the atmosphere. Before the roots could regenerate, the blonde woman shot forward with one outstretched hand and touched the light within the cage.

_I-I got it!_

_**FLAAAAAASSSSSSSSH!**_

Another bright light lit the area, blinding everyone in the vicinity. However, when the light faded away it left behind small shimmering lights in the air. They rained down all around them, twinkling and sparkling mysteriously in the absence of the dangerous tree roots. It was such a sight that all the Goddesses couldn't help but awe at the scene.

"Hey. Look, over there," Ami pointed out. There was a stranger amongst them.

The figure was transparent, but her features could still be clearly made out. Short raven coloured hair, and dark eyes. Her attire resembled the outfits that Haruka and Michiru donned when using Planet Power. Beside figure's bow was the heart crystal; it was shining brightly, composed of several smaller crystals. But more importantly, in their right hand, the youth held a glaive that radiated with frightening, dark power.

"H-Hotaru…?" Minako whispered. _No way! But that's—It's really her!_

The vacant gaze in the addressed party fled, and was immediately replaced by forlorn sadness. In a listless tone, the woman spoke whispery words.

"Who are you...? All of you…?"

"Hotaru…" Haruka muttered. She had never seen that expression in the girl's eyes before. She looked much older and almost detached. If this was Hotaru's heart, her true self, then it was like Haruka never knew her at all.

"Who are you?" Hotaru repeated again, more firmly this time. She appeared to be becoming agitated.

"Hotaru, w-we came to get you." Minako licked her dry lips uncertainly. "Setsuna asked us to."

"Setsuna…" She considered the name sadly. She knew Setsuna would not send untrustworthy souls for her.

Hotaru then slowly shook her head. "I'm sorry. But I cannot go back."

"But, why not?!"

"Because I… I committed a terrible crime."

"But that—it wasn't your fault! Apollo forced you to do it, didn't he?!" Haruka protested. "You were kidnapped and he forced you to destroy the Moon Kingdom! We know what happened! It's not your fault!"

"You're wrong." She whispered in response.

"Wha? What do you mean, I'm wrong?"

Hotaru closed her eyes. She could feel the sorrow rising within her once again. It was like a scar that her soul was forced to bear for the rest of eternity. And now, these people were about to rip it open again.

"I was not kidnapped. I went with him...on my own accord." The youth ignored the predictably shocked expressions of her audience.

"What?"

"But...why?"

"The people… the citizens, the palace staff, everyone who I thought were my friends…feared me because of my power. They greeted my twin sister and myself with smiles, but behind our backs, they called me the 'devil incarnate'. At the time, I couldn't understand it. What was so different between myself and my sister? Why did they praise her but condemn me...? After some time, I came to the conclusion that I must've been lacking something important. So I trained harder. I truly believed that, perhaps.., if I worked harder, they would come to praise me sincerely as well.

So I practiced harder, and grew stronger, without realizing that it was my mere existence that drove them to hate me so…

Apollo... I had heard of him one day while my mother and Setsuna were engaged in a private conversation. I had overheard that he was my uncle. He was the only other relative that I had aside from my mother and sister.

Thus I was not surprised in the least when the man appeared before me that day, many centuries ago. He offered to give me a home, a place away from those who loathed my existence. I didn't hesitate… I accepted.

Therefore, you see...I was not kidnapped. That is why you are wrong."

Haruka was feeling her heart break all over again.

"Then, but why… The Moon Kingdom…" Michiru couldn't help but ask.

The raven-haired youth looked each of the Goddesses in the eye. It seemed that they genuinely wanted to know.

"Please keep in mind, that you were the ones who requested this."

Similarly as with Setsuna, a bright light filled the area.

**FLAAASSSSSSSSH!**

_The image of the Moon Kingdom came to view. From the point of view, it appeared that the person was viewing the majestic place from the outskirts. There, near the borders beside a grove of silver leafed trees, Apollo came into sight. Beside him at his side, with one of the God's mighty arms wrapped about her slim shoulders, was Hotaru. The girl looked to be in her late teens._

"_Do you see that Hotaru?" Apollo directed gaze towards the bright lights. "This is the 'home' that you once spoke so fondly of. You've slaved away your entire life for their sake, but look at how they repay you. They ridicule you behind your back, and condemn you as the devil's spawn. Yet what have you done to deserve this sort of treatment? Nothing... because, my dear niece, you have done nothing wrong. Even now, look at how happy they are now that you're gone. It looks like they haven't missed you at all."_

_Sadness reflected in the woman's dark eyes. As much as she wished to, she could not find the voice to protest against her uncle's observations; the place she had called home looked exactly the same as the day she had left. It hadn't changed at all. But she had._

"_You have grown considerably in power. You have mastered your unique form of Planet Power and have even surpassed the Gods and Goddesses of my court! But do you not think...that it is time to use that power...?"_

_Apollo gave Hotaru's shoulder a gentle squeeze, acting as if he actually cared about the individual that was born as his niece._

"_It hurts, doesn't it?" The God prodded. "Watching them like this, without you… You belonged there but they didn't want you. They called you the 'devil', rejected you and betrayed me. They also betrayed 'Uncle Apollo'." He stressed._

"_Betrayed…Uncle Apollo…" His niece repeated in a trance-like state. She was confused. Where had all of these emotions come from so suddenly? She never believed she would feel like this ever again._

_The man ignored the inward cringe of having been called 'uncle' however he believed it would be worth while it in the end. After many years of meticulous planning, the child's loyalty now solely belonged to him. After all, he was the one who cared for her, who watched over her and taught her everything that she knew—it was him who molded her into what she was now! And that sort of person, who else could possibly be within her heart other than him? What possibly could be left behind from her past, other than those delightfully, painful memories? After all, no being would readily remember the 'good' times when there were ones that were so much more painful!_

_He then leaned down and whispered into Hotaru's ear to solidify the spell._

"_Is it fair?" His niece gasped. "Make the pain...disappear."_

_Hotaru didn't know what hit her-- suddenly all the pent up frustration, sorrow and anger--something inside snapped. To Apollo's delight, his niece's hidden power was unleashed. It was growing at an exponential rate, all the while the girl's consciousness was ever becoming swallowed within a swell of emotion. Just as planned, he smirked. It wouldn't be long before he would set her upon the traitorous dogs that had deserted him. _

_But what of the twin sister? Ah… He had not forgotten the other brat. She would be easily deposed of. She had taken after Artemis after all, his sister. Surely the child had no experience of battle whatsoever. What's more, it mattered not if the two siblings would destroy each other in the end or if Hotaru perished while executing the deed. What did matter...? The only thing that did was that the threat to him would be obliterated! The Gods and Goddesses of his court would come to see that they could be just as easily disposed of if they also chose to foolishly betray him. After all, they were nothing but weak pawns to him!_

_Apollo almost felt like laughing. His hate felt so good!_

"_Destroy the Moon Kingdom Hotaru… Kill all who stands in your way! Destroy! Destroy! AHAHAHAHAHA!"_

_**RMM…RMM…RMM…**_

_Many scenes flashed before everyone's eyes. The buildings that Setsuna had mentioned were being destroyed; the once majestic structures were disintegrating into rubble and were thrown up into the air where they would be swallowed up by the dark sky. The air rang loud with people's screams and cries for help as their blood was spilt onto stone streets. It was like a work of art to the Sun God's eye. Red was staining everything. It was the best red colour that he had ever witnessed in his long existence._

_**Crumble…**_

_Hotaru tread unblinkingly through the streets, her powers covering everything she passed and hungrily swallowed it whole. With a swing of her weapon, she brought down entire buildings. She could have demolished the entire city single-handedly if she chose to, but that would be child's play. These people weren't her true target. Her clouded sight was set at something bigger, something that almost begged to be destroyed by her merciful hand: The Palace._

_The young woman ventured onwards and left behind her path of destruction until she reached the palace grounds, her birthplace. There she found her mother awaiting her arrival._

_**Tup. Tup. Tup…**_

"_Hotaru!" Queen Serenity called to her misguided child. "Please stop this!"_

_Hotaru then did something her mother did not expect. To the woman's horror, the girl grinned. The garden structure beside her abruptly exploded, but it did not slow the youth down at all. That was just a warm up. _

"_Oh no… She's released too much power. She can't control it!" Serenity realized. "What should I do…? She's already beyond my limit!" The ruler was about to make the biggest decision of her life, and her heart was torn because of it. "Apollo...did you do this? Why...? My dear Hotaru...you really don't recognize me, do you?"_

_The young woman continued forward with killer intent. Queen Serenity was running out of time._

"_It is my biggest regret to see you in so much pain. I never expected for this to happen. To see our time of peace brought to an end by one of my own children. But...despite all of that, I do not hate you. No. As your mother, I shall save you. I will... stop you." She vowed. "My life... This is all that I can do for you."_

"_Wait! You mustn't use that power! Think about what you're doing!" Another voice rang out._

"_Setsuna?!" The Queen exclaimed in shock. "What are you doing here? You were supposed to guard--"_

_The advisor shook her head at her Lady. "It's all right. She's safe. But I simply cannot allow you to fight alone!"_

"_But--"_

_Setsuna turned her sights onto Hotaru. The child was beyond reasoning now; all they could do was hope that they could jolt the woman out of her detached state. However, it would not be an easy task to accomplish and it deeply disturbed Setsuna concerning who they were dealing with. The stakes were high; if any harm were to befall Hotaru, the Queen would be devastated. However, on the other hand, if they failed they would all perish. Weighing out the consequences, there was only one logical choice._

"_Forgive me."Raising her garnet rod into the air, Setsuna called forth a planet-shaped ball of energy. It built upon her rod and gained more power as large quantities of aura poured into it. Yet as she was about to unleash her attack, Serenity cried out,_

"_NO!"_

_**Wrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiir!**_

_Setsuna's attack flew far away from her target, leaving herself momentarily wide open. Hotaru saw this and, unlike Setsuna, attacked without hesitation._

_A bolt of purple light promptly sent her guardian flying to the side, severely injured._

_**CRACKLE!**_

"_AHHHHHHHHHH!"_

"_Setsuna!" Serenity looked on horrified at the result of her actions. She hadn't meant for that to happen!_ _"Hotaru." The mother turned her hurt gaze at her child. It appeared that she had no in the matter after all. "This… must end here."_

_Queen Serenity gathered all the power she could muster into the palms of her hands and charged up. Hotaru, as she watched this display, knew exactly what was about to happen. With an unconcerned expression the dark-haired youth gathered her own power into her glaive. The power she had acquired earlier was overwhelming her; she was so consumed within it that she was addicted to the feeling. She wanted more, to destroy more, and finally bring an end to the pain that had ravaged her heart for so long._

"_HAAAAAH!"_

_**CRACKLE!  
CRACKLE!**_

_**FWOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOOOOOOSHHHH!!!**_

_The two powers collided and battled against one another. Already Serenity sensed their difference in power. There was no way that she could…_

"_Mother?!" Shouted a distressed voice. A golden-haired woman in a white dress stepped onto the grounds. "H-Hotaru?! You're home?! What's going on here...?"_

_**Lubb Dubb!**_

"_Stay back!" Serenity shouted to her daughter._

_**Lubb Dubb!**_

_Finding another golden opportunity, Hotaru pulled out all the cards and poured in the rest of her power._

_**Lubb--**_

_**KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**_

_Serenity, her mother… and the Kingdom, all perished within a brilliant flash of white light._

_The scene disappeared and reappeared within the desecrated garden of the Moon Palace. Hotaru sat in its center on a piece of unstained marble. The youth was quiet. Her dark-hair hung over her eyes, shielding her sight from the horrific view that she created._

_Everything was ruined._

"_Why…?"_

_The blood…_

"_Why?"_

_The corpses, the buildings becoming one with the sky…_

_Her lips quivered. "Why?!"_

_And then she remembered her mother…_

"_WHY?!" Hotaru screamed. She threw herself to the ground sobbing and choking on her own tears. She hit her fists against the hard surface and cut her hands. But it didn't help; she couldn't feel the pain. It was nothing compared to the guilt that she felt. It was no good, no good at all! _

_Frustrated, Hotaru finally punched the ground so hard that there was a loud crunch as her bones broke. It hurt, and a scream was torn from her throat. After she was able to calm down a little, she hunched over, her shoulders slumped, and weakly tried to hug herself. It was so cold._

"…_Why… did it happen…?" She whispered to herself more quietly. The tears just wouldn't stop flowing._

"_I did this… I did it all! Everything! I killed them! ...I killed them! I--I killed… them… all…" Her sobbing was renewed. The sliver of sanity she still possessed grew dim. "Please, please…" She begged. "__If only there was a way that I could repent for my sins."_

_Behind her, Setsuna stood with tearful crimson eyes; she had somehow managed to stagger up onto her legs, only to find herself too late. Her Lady, Queen Serenity and the Kingdom, were all gone. Why was she the only one to survive? _

_The advisor was sorely tempted to bring her wrath down onto her Lady's murderer. It would have been so easy to do so, given the state of Hotaru's mental and physical health. However, the woman knew by logic that it was not the 'child' that should be blamed. Apollo-- that vile name instantly came to mind. He was the one to blame for putting Lady Hotaru, for all of them, through such a traumatizing ordeal._

_Setsuna's crimson eyes focused on the particles drifting off of Hotaru's form. She was... disappearing? The chief advisor immediately understood; Hotaru had pushed too far past her limits._

"_He took away everything important to me…" The green-haired woman angrily scowled. None had ever seen the woman this expressive. None that were alive now, that was…_

_Another small movement from the corner of her eye drew her attention to another body. Lady Hotaru's twin…_

"_She's alive?"_

_Hotaru's ears perked up immediately. "Alive?" The word rang in her mind. "Who…?" She turned her head until her dark eyes spotted her sister. So she wasn't dead!_

"_We need a medic." Setsuna mumbled under her breath. Frustration laced her words; she knew the chance of finding a person with such a skill was even less than finding another person in these ruins alive!_

_**Tup.**_

"_Hotaru?"_

"_I'll… disappear soon…" Hotaru was well aware of her own predicament. She could already feel her strength waning. But she couldn't bear to leave things like this. Not like this. If there was one thing she could do that was good with her powers…_

_Before Setsuna could protest, Hotaru outstretched an open palm with her uninjured hand towards the golden-haired girl and infused her with her remaining energy. The wounds beneath her administrations began to heal._

_With her energy finally depleted, Hotaru faded with a small smile surfacing onto her tear-stained face._

"_My true power…" She whispered..._

… _and vanished._

"_Good-bye."_

**. . .**

**FLAAASSSSSSSSH!**

The light faded, but instead of being greeted by expressions of hate or loathing that Hotaru had anticipated she saw nothing but tears on the Goddesses faces. She couldn't understand why they were crying, but she wished they would stop. They almost made her want to cry as well.

"I see…" Ami was the first to speak. "Afterwards, you must have known that you would be reborn. So you sealed your heart away here. You had no desire to be found…"

"It's…still not your fault Hotaru." Haruka repeated. Her hands were clenched at her sides. None of them realized the emotional impact the destruction had based on what Setsuna had shown them, but now… now that they knew…

"I understand that's why you want to stay here. But that's exactly why you need to come back." Minako whispered with a grim face.

"What?"

"Your body, your spirit is incomplete without your heart! Setsuna is trying to hold you back with her power, but if you don't return soon, you'll repeat the same tragedy again without even knowing it! So, please Hotaru! Please come back with us!"

"I'll repeat that...again?" Hotaru's dark eyes widened in realization.

_Wait a second. Now that I think about it, I do recall sensing an unusual disturbance some time ago. However, it was somehow different from the rest._

Many lights were put out every day. Some were more pronounced than others. But the pain that was akin to hers awoke her memory. She had been awake ever since without truly realizing it. But since the Moon Kingdom's destruction, Hotaru had no intention of going back and had gone through the trouble of setting up these defensive measures to ensure it. She was supposed to sleep forever. However, the connection that she had severed with her newly reborn-self had sparked alive again in her brief moment of weakness.

_Could it be really true? Has the connection between myself and my body have been resurrected? If it is... then...  
__  
_"Please come back Hotaru..." Everyone watched her with pleading eyes.

In truth Hotaru was still scared. If she regained her physical body she would be more than capable of repeating the rampage from long ago. The responsibility that came with such a freedom was a great burden. However, there was one thing that she knew for certain: If she remained here, and her body had indeed awakened, then tragedy would undoubted come full cycle.

_I can't allow that to happen ever again!_

"All right…I will go with you." Hotaru's eyes flashed with determination now. The spectre held out her free hand, beckoning to her heart crystal and sent it forward. Although the woman's transparent image had disappeared, the group of Goddesses noticed the lingering warmth that now radiated from the heart crystal. It was different somehow, almost more hopeful.

"_We have Hotaru's heart! Rei!"_ There was a silence. "_Rei…?"_

(Rei, Pluto)

_I'm-- reaching my limit! _Rei gritted her teeth. Her body was in a terrible condition after enduring hours without food, water or rest. Any minute now her stance or concentration will break, whichever happened first, and break the spell.

"Damn. Setsuna, I—I don't think I can hold it for much...longer!"

**…**_**ping…**_

Rei froze. She had only left Setsuna unattended for a few hours, but the woman looked even more ragged than herself. The former advisor was trembling in a desperate attempt to keep her garnet rod lifted and her powers strong, but it came with a price and now Rei could truly see the toll that it took on her. Setsuna was perspiring badly, undoubtedly suffering from dehydration.

_Wait a minute. How long has she been holding that barrier?! _"Setsuna!" _This is bad!_

Amethyst eyes shot back to Hotaru. The barrier was weakening and Hotaru knew it. The Martian's blood ran cold seeing the signs of consciousness from the drowsy woman inside. After witnessing that vision on Saturn, she did _not _want to ever encounter that.

_If the barrier breaks, then--!_

"Ugh…!" Setsuna's stance faltered and the barrier wavered briefly. The place around them shook slightly, off balance.

"_Mina, we've got trouble!" _Rei told the blonde.

**"****Trouble?! What's going on? Rei?!"**

"_I'm sorry," but I have to break the link._

**"****REI?!---"**

_**Snap**_

Rei regretted cutting the connection, but there was something dire that she needed to attend to first.

"Setsuna! Hang on!" The Martian rushed to the woman's side. She promptly gave one quick look at the situation before attempting to focus her powers where Setsuna was.

_**Fwooooosh!**_

"We do not… have enough strength between us…" Setsuna gasped out. With Rei in her weakened state, it would only briefly prolong the inevitable at best.

"But what else can we do? We can't give up now!"

_I guess, we'll need to use that after all…_ The former advisor darkly thought. She had sincerely hoped to return to that place under better circumstances.

"Concentrate on the barrier!" Setsuna instructed. "Do not lose focus, no matter what!"

"What? Hey! Where are you going?!" Rei grunted under the burden placed upon her shoulders. It was insane-- she never realized how much energy the other woman was expending for the procedure. "W-Whatever you have in mind, you better do it fast!!!"

Setsuna took a few steps back and took a deep breath. Her heart was still pounding, but she knew the punishment otherwise would be much more severe if she didn't act now. With that, she transferred the remainder of her power and summoned a spell.

"Setsuna?!"

_**FWOOOOOOOOOOOSH!**_

(Rei, Moon Kingdom Ruins)

Rei's stomach did flip-flops as they landed into a foreign setting. She didn't know what Setsuna did, but the Martian knew that they were no longer on Pluto.

Rei barely blinked before she saw Setsuna speeding away into a large building structure up ahead.

"Set--"

_Huh? Is that--a palace…? Ruins...? N-No way! It--It can't be!_

_**Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!**_

Inside the palace Setsuna urgently sought out the throne room. The past memories assaulted her as she crossed the empty corridors, past the ornaments that used to hang from the walls that now lay on the floor in pieces, until she reached it.

The green-haired woman had to suck in breath when she finally stood before the throne room door. It broke her heart. Behind these doors, she would never see that person smile at her ever again. But it had no relevance to their current situation. There was only one person that she sought now.

_There's only one person who can help us now!_

_**Creeeeeeak.**_

_**Tup. Tup. Tup. Tup.**_

Setsuna strode up the red carpet, following it to her destination. For up there, on the throne and held by a wall of crystallized ice…

"We are in need of your aid…"

The woman looked the sleeping figure in the face.

"Usagi."

**DOOOOOOM**

**

* * *

**

**Next up in HFD, Ch. 22: Moon Kingdom: Sanctuary**

**There are always two sides to a story. Having been sealed away for so long, is it possible to still dream? What happened that day in the eyes of the other Moon heir?**

**On the flip-side, Rei is finding time to be unmerciful; the barrier finally relents and Hotaru is once against unleashed, leaving the Martian helpless against the impending doom. But perhaps fate would not be so cruel to the soldier. When a golden haired woman makes a stand on the scene, what could possibly result from the reunion between siblings?**

_**KABLAAAAAAAM!  
FWoOoOoOoOoOoOOOOOOSH!**_

**Rei and Setsuna fell to the ground and braced themselves against the roaring wind.**

_**The ruins! They're---They're re-building themselves?!**_


	22. Moon Kingdom: Sanctuary

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own Sailor Moon.**

**

* * *

**

(Usagi)

**…****ping…**

**"…****Usagi..."**

**…****ping…**

**"****Where are you Usagi?"**

…

…

…_Is…_

…_.Someone there…?_

**…**_**ping…**_

Usagi blinked, and was startled when she was met by a horizon of darkness. Everywhere she looked there was a void of nothingness.

_Huh? Where am I? This doesn't look like the palace. _

Hesitantly the youth turned her head and scanned at her surroundings. The princess had seemingly been marooned within a sea of darkness. Her body-- it was like a pale, ghostly spectre that was encompassed by a faint, white light.

_Where is everyone? Mother...? Setsuna...? Hotaru...? Where are you?! _She cried out, but no one answered.

_Oh...that's right. Hotaru is already..._ In her mind she saw her sister being led away by a tall figure. _Hotaru... That's right, I have to find her! I have to bring her back home!_

She began to wander the empty void, shouting the girl's name until her throat was hoarse.

_...Hotaru!! Hotaru, where are you?! Please come back! _ She ran until suddenly she came across a pair of conversing women. Judging from their appearance, they were a part of the palace staff.

_Oh! There are some of the maids. Maybe, they can tell me where Hotaru is._

"_Excuse me?"_ She was surprised when the two women ignored her and continued to speak to one another in a low whisper. _"Umm...Excuse me." _She said a little more firmly. Still, she wasn't getting any reaction.

Usagi took a step back and tilted her head to the side. _That's strange. Why are they ignoring me? _Being ignored really did hurt her feelings, but those thoughts were promptly swept into the back of her mind. _"I'm sorry, I don't mean to interrupt but I was wondering if either of you have--" _She touched one of their shoulders and instantly there was a bright flash of light. Usagi pulled her hand back as their voices were suddenly loud and clear in her mind.

"_Mary, have you seen the young Miss of late?"_

"_Who are you speaking of? Are you speaking of Lady Usagi or...?"_

"_You know who."_

Usagi blinked. _"You know who...?" _She gasped, _"Are you talking about Hotaru?" _Her hopes were dashed when she was ignored once again. This time, she couldn't help but make a face. This prank was really getting old.

"_Oh... Umm... then no, I'm afraid I haven't. Why?"_

"_The rumour amongst the guards is that the young Lady is missing."_

"_Missing?! But how can that be? We haven't put the plan into action yet--"_

"_Excuse me. If I may ask, what are you two speaking about?"_

"_Oh! L-Lady Setsuna! W-We were just going back to work! Please-excuse-us!"_

_Setsuna? _Usagi felt her heart skip a beat when the stoic woman suddenly came into view. _It's really her..._ She couldn't understand it, for some inexplicable reason it felt like her heart was about to burst from joy. She had only seen her guardian a few hours ago after all.

"_Setsuna! It's so good to see you!" _Usagi enthusiastically greeted. But it appeared that the she hadn't heard her. The tall advisor watched as the maids ran off with a contemplating look in her eyes. _"Umm...Setsuna? Is there something wrong?" Ah! Oh no. What if she's angry with me? "I-I didn't mean to eavesdrop on them, really! It's just... happened! I was just looking for Hotaru! Oh! Speaking of which...By any chance have you seen her? I can't seem to find her anywhere..."_

"_..."_

"_Setsuna...? Hey, wait! Where are you going?" _To Usagi's horror, her friend turned around and began to walk away from her. _"No, wait!" _She threw out her hand and tried to catch her, but Setsuna disappeared right before her very eyes. She was suddenly gone.

Usagi fell to her knees in shock. _"What... just happened?" Why did she just disappear like that? It was like she wasn't even there._

**Ping...**

_Wait a second. Not even there? But, where is here...? The last thing I remember, I was..._

**Ping...**

Usagi gasped. _"Goddess..." I don't remember. But, what does that mean? What...happened to me?_

A series of distorted images flickered through her mind, but she could not clearly discern them. It was a blur of faces and voices.

_It feels like... I'm forgetting something very important. So, why can't I...remember...? What is it? What am I forgetting?!_

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" The ground beneath her had suddenly disappeared. Usagi shut her eyes tight, waiting for the inevitable end. But it never came. Instead, she kept falling head first amongst the shimmering lights.

**Ping!**

_**Crash!**_

Before her eyes, a building collapsed. The sound tickled something in her memory. It was not just one building, but many.

_What...?_ Usagi felt her heart race in her chest._ I don't understand---what is this?_

"**Usagi." **The echoing voice beckoned to her once again.

_**Lubb dubb!**_

"_Stay back!"_

_**Lubb dubb!**_

_Mother?! _For a brief second she glimpsed her mother's concerned face before it was engulfed by a bright flash of white light and disappeared into the nothingness. Suddenly, it was quiet. She was aware that she was trembling. There were tears falling down her face. Somewhere in her heart, she had the feeling that something terrible had happened.

The princess felt her body straighten around as she finally touched hard ground again. Unconsciously she scanned her surroundings again. The images and the lights were all gone.

_No. It can't be..._

She was about to break down into tears again until she felt a strange presence nearby.

"_Who's there? Mother, is that you?"_

**Tup.**

A movement out of the corner of her eye drew her attention. Instantly she spun on the spot to confront the shadowed figure, and what she saw made her blue eyes widen. She heard it first. There was the jingle of a bell, followed by a glint of light reflecting off a sharp surface. The sharp tip of a blade was centimetres from her throat.

Usagi couldn't move as the person's red eyes trained on her from the shadows.

_It can't be--!!_

**Rap! Rap! Rap!**

(Moon Kingdom—Palace)

**Rap! Rap! Rap!**

"Young Lady, it is time to get up! You've overslept!" Someone called. "Miss…? Princess Usagi, please get up! Ooo---hh… THAT WOMAN will surely scold me if you are late for today's lesson…"

Usagi's lithe body stirred underneath the concealing sheets. Everywhere one looked her room was decorated in white. However, at this time of day, the walls were now tinged yellow and orange—a gift from the outside world. With it, nature also greeted the innocent and pure woman. Through the double doors of the nearby terrace, a gentle breeze drifted inside to ruffle her long, golden locks. Usagi's breathing quickened. She rolled a few times, shifting her position until she finally came to rest on her back. In her mind, the face of the person was coming slowly into sight. A single beam of light crept along the right side of their face and crossed over the bridge of their nose. She could see their lips curl up into a smile.

"Hotaru!"

_Ah--!_ Usagi bolted upright in her bed and instantly felt dizzy. She limply fell back down onto her back, waiting until the feeling passed, before she weakly scanned the familiar surroundings. "Oh. I'm in my room?"

_So it was just a dream?_ _But it felt so real! There were buildings being destroyed... And Hotaru was there too. But she... _Usagi tightened her hold on the sheets. The tip of the blade still felt very real. _But that's why...it has to be a crazy dream. Even though we haven't seen each other for years, the Hotaru that I know would never do something like that. _

"Princess Usagi!" The maid moaned again. On the other side of the door a sound of clumsy fumbling for keys could be heard.

"Oh! There is no need for that. I'm awake!" Usagi called out to the servant. She peeked at her clock, which confirmed the severity of her lateness. "Uh oh. I better hurry!"

The young woman tossed the sheets aside and made a mad dash for her closet.

An eternity seemed to have passed before the door swung open to finally reveal the young Miss properly dressed. Although the beautiful, golden-haired princess was admired throughout the kingdom and was considered an invaluable gift from the Gods by her people, Usagi still had her share of flaws. This would be one of them.

"Always… Every morning Lady Usagi!" The maid chided before she sighed with relief. She hated to think of what would have happened if the young miss didn't wake up when she did. There were certain consequences for tardiness.

"I'm sorry, I will try harder to wake up on time," She sincerely promised. The bad dream that had haunted her so strongly now faintly lingered within her consciousness, but it was quickly fading to the back recesses of her mind. There were more important matters on hand.

"Well… I suppose I'll have to take your word for it," The shorter woman gestured. "Her Majesty would be worried sick if you were late to your lesson."

"Hmm…Yes, I suppose that's true. However, my mother isn't the one you are really afraid of. It's Luna, isn't it?" She saw the woman 'irk'. "Well, I can't say that I blame you. She _can_ be rather strict. Poor Luna… she's already getting on in the years. If she wasn't so hard on Artemis I'm sure he would have made his move by now."

"Y-Young Miss! T-T-That's hardly appropriate!" _She might hear you! _

"But do you not agree?" Usagi took the woman's hands into hers and made a pleading face. There was no chance in heaven or hell that anyone could resist THAT look, especially from the princess; the maid couldn't help but shyly meet those beautiful eyes and smile in secret agreement.

A small, stifled cough caused the two women freeze.

"'Getting on in the years'?" The voice questioned indignantly.

The pair nervously gulped peered around the seemingly empty corridor.

"W-Wasn't that who I think it is? You heard it too didn't you Lady Usagi? Or am I losing my mind?" The young maid squeaked. She had only met the assistant advisor and royal planner once, and once was enough to last her a lifetime! However, the said person was nowhere to be seen.

When they were coming up empty handed with detecting the mysteriously, well-hidden presence, an obvious thought struck Usagi in the head-- why hadn't she thought of it before? After all, this happened often enough.

Giggling a little, the teenager dropped her gaze to predictably find a black cat with red eyes staring up at her in accusation. The crescent moon on its forehead gleamed in the morning light.

"And a good morning to you Luna! How are you doing this lovely day?" Usagi greeted her supervisor. But the greeting seemed to only serve to irritate the being further.

"Good morning?! It's already the early afternoon! What were you doing sleeping in so late?!" The cat screeched.

"Ehehe…heh… I'm sorry, it just...happened?" She apologized again and gestured nervously. The maid beside her frantically looked back and forth between the apologetic princess and the… cat?

_Wait. The cat is talking?_

…

…

It hit her like a wrecking ball.

"OH MY GODDESS! A TALKING CAT!" Usagi barely blinked twice when two frightened arms wrapped under her shoulders, picked her up, and dragged her down the corridor at an amazing speed. "D-Don't worry my Lady! I'll protect you from the demon!"

"HEY NOW!" Luna growled and gave chase. "Put the Princess down this instant! And you, Lady Usagi! Stop that laughing, right now! This is no joking matter!"

Moments later, with tears still in her eyes, the Moon Princess finally managed to calm down the nerve-frazzled servant. She had heard that her guardian had been crowned the title of 'demon' many times before, but never while the other woman was around to hear it.

"It's all right, that cat isn't a demon." Usagi tried to explain to her friend. "You remember Luna don't you?"

The other woman nodded quickly.

"Well, that's her." The maid's face paled as she slowly turned her head towards where her Lady was pointing.

"Yes, the cat." Luna rolled her eyes when she saw that predictable expression. Normally she assumed this form to keep an eye over her charges. However, now that she had been found out she saw no reason to retain this cat body any longer. With a quick mental command, the crescent moon on her forehead lit up and she reversed the spell.

_**Poof!**_

As the clouded blue smoke started to dissipate away, Usagi went on to explain the peculiarities of this phenomenon.

"You see, Luna can take on the form of a cute little kitty to spy on me. I find it absolutely adorable—I almost wish I could do it as well! Isn't she simply amazing?!"

"S-So… all of her Majesty's close subjects can…?" _Umm, amazing? Sure._

"Oh, no, no, silly! As far as I know, only Luna and Artemis can undergo the transformation."

"I-I see." _That makes sense… I think?_

"Quite right." Luna agreed in her serious tone. She now stood before her audience in her human form; her eye color had changed from red to blue. Her slender form was complimented by a golden dress, and her long dark hair hung along her back.

"Lady Usagi, I do wish that you would keep up appearances, even within the palace. One would never know when a Lord or Lady of Apollo's court may grace us with their company! And as I am your guardian, appointed to you by your Mother, her Majesty the Queen, I cannot allow you to bring humiliation and embarrassment to yourself or your people! One day YOU will be our Queen! You cannot afford to dawdle with your schedule—there are only so many hours in a day!" Luna cried in exasperation.

Usagi quietly nodded to her petrified friend, telling her that it was okay to leave. The young princess knew this lecture well.

"Today there is the daily meditation and aura control lessons with your mother, the balancing, speech and dining etiquette practices, and, for today, a special flower arrangement session. The royal florist has graciously offered an hour of her own busy schedule to teach you the basics of which we will alternate later with your piano lessons."

A weak smile made its way to the Moon Princess's face. She found it simply astonishing at how surreal her duties felt at that moment.

_Things were never this bad when Hotaru was here. Ever since she disappeared, everyone now expects me to become the heir. But, honestly...I don't care about any of that. I just want Hotaru to come home safe and sound. I miss her dearly… _

_I still remember when we all found out. Mother ordered a Kingdom wide search. We all tried our best to find her, we all looked so hard! But no matter what we did... there was no trace of her anywhere. Some people, I heard, feared that she was no more._

_But they're wrong! _

_I know in my heart that she's still alive. She's out there somewhere. _Usagi brought up a hesitate hand to her chest. _Because... I can still feel it, __her heart... It's always been here with me. Before the day we were born, every day and every night while we wished each other a better tomorrow… _

_So...Where are you, Hotaru…? Why did you leave? Did I, do something to upset you?_

"Then we must---"

"Luna…?"

"Hm?" The raving woman paused momentarily to see her charge regarding her with an anxious gaze; the goofy features all had gone and were replaced by utmost seriousness. This immediately caught the guardian's attention and piqued her interest. "Yes?"

"Has anyone heard anything of Hotaru yet?"

Luna's gaze fell. "No. I am afraid not. But rest assured, Lady Usagi, there are many search parties still ongoing on the Moon, and I have heard word that Lady Neptune and Aphrodite, and Sir Uranus, Jupiter and Mercury have all promised Her Majesty that they would also keep a look out for the young princess as well. If Lady Hotaru is anywhere within this Solar System, we will surely find her."

"I see. I'm really glad to hear that. I hope we find her soon."

"Please do not worry about it. Everything that can be done is being taken care of. The best thing you can do now, however, is to not worry yourself sick, but to concentrate on your studies."

"She's right." Another, deeper voice rang out. "As harsh as it may sound."

A tall, white haired, blue eyed man in a white suit approached the two women. He had a gentle air to him, a bright one that positively radiated loyalty and strength with each step he took. While the young Moon Princess happily accepted this individual's presence, Luna remained relatively indifferent if not annoyed. The woman's reception was borderline, lukewarm at best.

"Artemis!"

"Hey there... I see that you're finally awake. That's good! Did you rest well?"

"Yes. And I'm very sorry for sleeping in for so long." Usagi gave a quick bow in respect.

The gesture made Artemis laugh. "There's no need to apologize. No one's perfect. Besides, you are still a growing young woman and...I think you deserve to relax once in awhile in your own home."

"Bite your tongue, Artemis!" Luna snapped. "Now is not the time for relaxing! There is a lot of work to be done! And you should be setting a good example for Lady Usagi as well. Perhaps if you got up in time for once in your life--"

"Ah… yes, yes… I will work on that."

"Plus, you are in need of a haircut soon as well. As high ranking loyal subjects of Her Majesty, we must keep up our appearances as well."

"Yes Luna…"

"And the combat training...?" She shot him a threatening look. "Don't even think about re-scheduling it again! Our cat transformations should not be used for 'skipping' work to indulge in wild shenanigans! Do I make myself clear?"

"Ulp…"

_Wow. She got you good._ Usagi silently thought.

_Yeah, no kidding. _Artemis thought back.

"Good. Now, let's see... Oh yes, I need to go and report to Her Majesty. In the meantime, would you please escort Lady Usagi to the gardens? Setsuna should be there to brief you on today's lesson."

Without so much as waiting for a reply Luna was already off and making her way down the corridor, leaving poor Artemis and Usagi staring dumbly at her distancing back. None of them were surprised by her strict attitude. The woman was infamous for it. But it was that strange ambience of her departure that brought them both to wonder what could make her rush like that.

"Wow, look at her go. I guess it must be really important." Usagi guessed.

"Hmm… I suppose." Artemis muttered. He continued to watch after his partner until she transformed into her cat form and dashed around the corner. He had to agree with the princess; there was something misplaced of their given situation. The man was acutely aware of the wind fluctuations within the palace of late. They were too erratic for his taste, even as he chatted with the young Lady.

"Do you have any idea what it could be about?"

"Hm? Ah. Well, no, not exactly! A-Anyway! I'm sure it's nothing we need to worry about! Luna is a very independent woman. I'm sure she can handle whatever it is. In the meantime however, perhaps we should make our way down to the garden? If we don't she might scold us again later."

_The garden…? _Usagi's heart skipped a beat. _No, not there!_ A voice inside spoke out.

"Lady Usagi?" Artemis inquired with a worried expression. He hadn't meant to scare his young charge with the remark, but that look just then was something else.

"Oh! I--I was just thinking. It's nothing to worry about."

"Are you sure? If you aren't feeling well, I can cancel the lesson." He offered.

"No. No, it's all right. I'm perfectly fine. Besides, Luna will throw a fit if she knew."

The man gave a small chuckle at that. "Heh. If she did, I'm not sure if I'd survive… BUT it is my duty to risk my life for my Princess, no matter what the situation! Or who..."

"..."

"Hey! What's with that face? You don't believe me, do you?"

"Oh, I believe you." Usagi smiled. As she stepped forward along the corridor, her dress twirled with her. "Just not against Luna. No offense Artemis, but it looks like she's got you pretty whipped there."

"Hey... That's so mean..." He stopped and quickly glanced around, drawing a curious stare from Usagi.

_What is he looking for?_

"Psst. I'll race you to the garden."

Usagi's smile couldn't get any bigger.

"C'mon, is that all you've got?!"

"Oh, give me a break! You aren't the one running in a dress!"

As they raced towards the gardens, the heavy feeling in the Princess's chest wouldn't leave.

_What is this strange feeling…? It's a clear sky outside, but, it feels like... there's a dark cloud looming over our heads..._

…

**"…****Usagi…"**

(Moon Garden)

Usagi found it utterly impossible to concentrate on Setsuna's briefing. The Queen's Advisor was rambling on about where a person's power came from, but her charge was too preoccupied within her thoughts to notice. There were many questions that the golden-haired woman wanted to ask, but the words refused to form on her lips. It was as though the atmosphere surrounding them forbade it, as if a delicate balance would be thrown out of order if any of these fears were ever made known. So Usagi simply sat there and pretended to listen.

_Back then, when he mentioned the garden, why did I suddenly think that I didn't want to come here? I mean, I've always come here when I needed to think or relax... so why...?_

She couldn't shake the feeling of being oppressed, but logic made the thought seem ridiculous.

"That will be it until Her Majesty arrives. Please do not leave the premises," Setsuna instructed. She waited until her charge gave a quick nod before dismissing herself.

_**fwooooooosssssh…**_

Now, Usagi was alone in the vast garden. A gentle breeze blew across the field. It lifted up the sweet scents of nearby flowers and scattered their petals. It was peaceful. Quiet. However, it had the opposite effect on the Princess and strangely stirred her heart. Once again, she felt that terrible, nagging feeling that she had forgotten something important.

_What am I forgetting?_ There was a brief flash of images, but the background noise came out like static.

Silently, Usagi stood up and stepped over to a close-by flowerbed. She reached out to touch the soft petals of a red rose, touching it, caressing the velvet smooth material beneath her fingertips. She then inhaled deeply, taking in the mixtures of scents and breathed out just as slowly. Her blue eyes darted up to the clear sky overhead and felt the rays of light warm the delicate skin of her cheeks. As far as one could tell, it was a beautiful—if not perfect—summer day. However, for some reason she felt tense; all of her instincts were on the alert for a reason that completely mystified her. Her heart was racing within her chest with each passing second, as though she was running out of time.

_For some reason... everything feels so wrong. Is it because of that dream? Why couldn't I ask Setsuna when she was right there? It felt like, my voice was suddenly gone, like I couldn't speak._

A small yawn escaped her lips.

_Oh. __That's odd. Why, am I suddenly…tired? I was just fine... two... seconds ago… _

Before she could even finish the thought, Usagi fell to the ground into a deep slumber.

(Some time later…)

"**Usagi."**

**…****ping…**

**"****Wake up Usagi."**

The Princess shivered when an insistent breeze brushed up against her bare shoulder. She yelped when a mass of flower petals flew into her face and scrambled to get up.

"Huh?! I-I fell asleep?"

Her heart caught in her throat when she took in a view of the sky; it was no longer blue, but an ominous, dark gray. The sunlight had been chased away, the flowers were becoming scattered, some of them, were ripped right out from their roots, and the wind began to howl in her ears. From where she stood she could make out a small section of their kingdom in the distance. Scenes from her dream cropped up again, making the heir feel very ill. Another wave of the strong vibes forced Usagi to bend over and clutch at her stomach painfully.

_Why am I getting such a bad feeling?! Where is it coming from?_

"Usagi!"

The woman weakly looked up to see a white cat closing the distance between them. When the creature was within a few meters of her, Artemis transformed into his human form.

_**Poof!**_

"Artemis...?"

"Thank Goddess I found you! You have to come with me this instant! We must get out of her—Now!" He gripped her arm hard and pulled her forward.

"Go? Go where? What is happening?!"

"There's no time to explain! Setsuna and Luna are waiting for us in the Audience Chamber."

Usagi couldn't get another question out before she was pulled down a series of corridors behind her urgent guardian. As they fled through the palace, the ominous feeling intensified.

_That's strange. It feels like, I've seen this before. But that can't be—I can feel his hand! It's cold and clammy. _It felt real.

**Tup! Tup! Tup!  
Tup! Tup! Tup!**

"This way, hurry!" Luna waved them down a corner.

"What's the status of our situation?" Artemis huffed as his companion joined them.

"All I can say is… It's not good."

"Damn."

"W-What's not good?" Usagi panted behind them. Her friends turned their heads and briefly peered over at the younger woman, but neither took it upon themselves to elaborate.

_What are they hiding from me?_ It hurt that they were keeping her in the dark, but she didn't have the heart to confront them about it. There had to be a good reason why they were doing it.

**Tup! Tup! Tup!  
Tup! Tup! Tup!  
Tup! Tup! Tup!**

**Rmm…rmm…rmm…**

_What?!_

"T-The ground's shaking?!" The Moon Princess came to a stop when the palace walls shook all around them. The sinking feeling in her stomach deepened.

"Don't stop!" Luna and Artemis ordered.

"But---!"

"Keeping moving!"

_**Crumble---Crash!**_

Despite the increasing tremors, the group safely reached the audience chamber where Setsuna awaited them. Upon their entry into the spelled area, the doors were immediately closed and they were sealed from the inside.

"Don't worry. As long as you remain here, you are safe." Setsuna informed them.

"Thanks Setsuna, we really owe you one." Artemis nodded.

As Usagi recovered from the stressful run, she glanced around the chamber only to see that they were alone.

_Wait a minute..._

"Where is everyone? Where are the palace staff, and my mother? Are we the only ones here? Are they all still out there?!" She turned her gaze on her guardians. "Why did we have to run like that?! What's... going on out there?! Someone, please! Tell me!" Usagi pleaded. She saw Luna, Artemis and Setsuna all exchange worried glances. "Please…" When they continued to refuse to answer to her, she stared them each in the eye and brought herself to assert her authority. The very thought of having to use such a tactic pained her, but being in the dark, being uninformed, it wasn't fair.

"As your Princess, I command you to report the situation to me!"

As surprised as they all were, Luna and Artemis couldn't find the words to describe their situation to their charge. However, Setsuna willed herself to deliver the news. She was bound by duty and was obligated to bend to a certain degree. However, being the intelligent person that she was, she had partially anticipated this and would not reveal more than necessary.

"We have…sensed a disturbance growing on our outer borders." The Advisor tentatively explained. "It is a strong, but negative energy. None of us have ever sensed anything quite like it before now."

"Setsuna, that's enough." Luna tried to interrupt.

"Some believe that it is the Sun God, Apollo, seeking revenge on us for deserting his ranks several centuries ago."

"For deserting his ranks...? I don't quite understand. Who is this Apollo person?"

"That's enough Setsuna!" The dark-haired woman stepped between Setsuna and Usagi, just daring her to try and continue that line of thought. However, the advisor appeared to have said her share.

"So, it really is an attack…" Usagi whispered. Her knees suddenly felt weak. She had never seen a real battle before-- where people actually fought with their lives at stake and died. The woman had grown up sheltered, and was especially overprotected since her sister's mysterious disappearance. But now, suddenly, there was an attack?

_But why...Why would anyone want revenge on us? We didn't do anything wrong! _

Reality slowly dawned on the woman and she realized how frightening real her dream was becoming. It was all coming back to her, clearer with the passing time.

"My mother." Usagi remembered. "Where is my Mother?! Where is everyone else? If there truly is an attack, then why aren't we helping the others? It's our duty to help our people, is it not?!"

"We have been assigned to stay with you here, Lady Usagi." Luna answered. "It was under the orders of your Mother…"

"What?"

"We're here to guard you if things get rough," Artemis clarified. He then took a deep breath. "Your Mother, Queen Serenity has decided… no, _insisted_ that she would go and quell the disturbance herself. Until she comes back we are to wait here."

"No…You can't mean that! She's going to fight alone?! We can't let that happen! It's too dangerous! We have to help her!"

"Lady Usagi…" Luna started.

"Artemis, you agree with me don't you?"

The man held his shaking fists at his sides. It was obvious from his expression that he was torn by this predicament as well.

"But…What if she dies?!"

There was an awkward silence. The possibility had hovered over the adults' minds for some time now, but none had dared to say it. Their Queen was strong, but even a Goddess could die from injury.

"She will not fight alone."

Usagi blinked. Did she hear right? "Setsuna...?"

"What?" Luna demanded. "Setsuna, surely you cannot be serious! You heard Her Majesty's orders. We are to guard Princess Usagi until her Highness returns!"

But the tall woman would hear none of it. She ignored Luna's protests and left the Audience Chamber, leaving the furious, dark-haired woman behind her in silent, dangerous rage.

"Why that--"

"Calm down, Luna! Let her go." Artemis shook his head and gripped her arm. Their eyes met and he saw past the anger to the disappointment in her blue eyes. Gently, he gripped her shoulders and gave them a comforting squeeze. "I know you want to go fight, and I do too…but we're both needed here to protect—Usagi?!"

The woman ran past her distracted guardians and bolted out of the chamber after Setsuna. Both Luna and Artemis stared in shock as the large doors closed behind the woman's disappearing form, leaving them alone in the room. They were both gaping in shock. Usagi had never disobeyed their instructions before.

"Usagi!" Luna shouted once she regained her voice. "That girl!"

(Outer Corridor)

**Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!**

Screams reached Usagi's ears, bringing her already racing heart to pound harder within her heaving chest. She desperately tried not to trip over her long dress, finding herself riddled with confusion and visions of her previous dream. The flash of images came again, but this time she could clearly make out the screams.

_It's just like in my dream! _Why had she simply dismissed the entire thing to be merely a figment of her imagination? Was this the price to pay for her foolishness?

A heavy, foul scent drifted into her direction and forced her to gasp back in pure shock and disgust. _That smell—! _She had never smelled anything quite so potent in her life.

_I must be getting closer!_

**Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!**

**"****Usagi!"**

The Princess came across a brightly-lit corridor. She flew down it, somehow knowing exactly where it would lead, and came stumbling out into an open terrace. The screams were still growing but now she knew why.

"W-What is this?!" _The Kingdom... Everything is falling apart. It's all rising up to the sky! _She stared up at the clockwise, rotating warped space in the sky that seemed to swallow everything.

"This can't be happening..." Saying that she was horrified was an understatement. _My mother is down there! _"I have to help her!"

Usagi threw out a thread of her aura and began to search the grounds as she had practiced during her lessons. From there she immediately sensed two enormous energies close-by. Following her instincts, she sought them out with the invisible trail in hopes that she would reach them in time.

When the young woman neared the gardens an explosion rang out and a combination of wind and dust kicked up in her face.

_**CRACKLE!**_

_**CRACKLE!**_

_**FWOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOOOOOOSHHHH!!!**_

"AHHHH---!" A blinding light flew into her vision. Her movements were slowed, yet she didn't dare to stop. A force was beckoning her forward.

Stubbornly, with her arms covering over her eyes, she inched nearer to the colliding forces. Until…

"Mother?!" She could make out the woman now. Her blue eyes instantly darted to where the other individual within the vicinity stood. Usagi gasped. "H-Hotaru?! You're home?!"

_I-It's really her! It's Hotaru! _Usagi always imagined herself ready to embrace her sister when she would return but the under these circumstances---! _But, what is she doing? Why is she fighting our mother?!_

Usagi couldn't decide how she should react to all of this. It was all happening too fast.

"What's going on here...?" She felt like she was about to cry.

_**Lubb Dubb!**_

"Stay back!" Serenity shouted to her daughter.

_No-!_ Usagi's eyes widened. The images within her mind came to a halt in this specific progression of events. She suddenly knew what was supposed to happen next. _It can't be…_

_**Lubb Dubb!**_

"NOOOOOOOOO!"

_**KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**_

**FLAAAAAAAASH!**

Usagi fell sobbing onto her knees, finding it difficult to see through her tears. She was in the garden again, very alone and aware.

_I remember. I remember everything now, but... I wish I didn't! It's so terrible. Why...? _She was left amongst the ruins, amongst the shimmering lights, with memories of the dead. Her purpose in life was suddenly lost on her. Duty plagued her with guilt. Deep inside, the one she blamed was herself. She saw it all happen and did nothing but standby and watched it happen. Now, she was afraid of leaving this place, of taking another step forward. She only wished that the pain would go away.

"Someone…"

**"****Usagi… wake up."**

_That voice! _It cut through the dark and connected with her grief filled mind. Was someone calling her? Blue eyes blinked, and more tears rolled down her cheeks. _I've heard it somewhere before…_

"What do you mean?" She questioned. "What do you mean by wake up...? I'm already awake, aren't I?"

A thread of reddish-purple aura dropped down from the darkness above and held steady in the space directly in front of her.

**"****You need to wake up from the dream… Awaken Usagi… Awaken…" **The voice echoed.** "Break the cycle. Stop re-living this nightmare…"**

Usagi hesitantly peered at the thread. The power was familiar, but different somehow. Did she dare to hope?

_Stop re-living this nightmare? Are you saying...that this just another dream? Am I just dreaming?_

"...I'm afraid." _If I touch that light, what will happen to me? Will I... disappear?_

**"****We…need… your… help."**

An image of Hotaru standing amongst the Moon Kingdom's ruins was projected before her. Something was happening. Usagi tried to peer closer. There was a raven-haired stranger that was struggling—why was she struggling?

_Who is that? And what's she doing? Is that a barrier? _She pulled back, momentarily confused. _What is this? This isn't the future, is it...? Wait. The future...? _The thought struck her as odd. She thought back to what the voice just said. _That voice...they said that this was all a nightmare. Then, that means, this isn't real, is it? _

She remembered back to her interlude in the garden, how it all had felt corrupted and oppressive. Its beauty was like an illusion but the pain was still very real.

_That's right... today, was the day that my home was... I've just been living through the motions, haven't I? _She had no idea of how many times she watched her home being destroyed, but it did explain some things.

_I see. So...I've been alone this entire time. _Tears threatened to well up in her blue eyes once more, but she did not dare cry. _No, I can't cry now. Because, Luna and Artemis... and Mother... wherever they are now, I'm sure that they would be sad too if I cried. It's just—I'm so sorry...! Everyone! Please forgive me!_

**"****Usagi!"**

Without hesitation now, Usagi reached forward and grasped the glowing thread. Instantly her world was engulfed by its light.

**FLAAAAAASH!**

(Moon Kingdom, Rei)

**Rmm…Rmm…Rmm…  
**_**Crumble!**_

Rei nearly lost her balance when a part of the ground beneath her was beginning to give way. Hotaru's spiritual pressure, which was leaking through the barrier at alarming proportions, was tearing up the ground. Was the girl who had destroyed an entire kingdom going to destroy its ruins as well?

"Erg...!!!"

The Martian tried to maintain her balance as the crater beneath her widened. She was painfully aware of the disintegrating gray surface, her only support, vanishing all around her. She heard it crack and split, saw it shatter into smaller miniscule particles before being heaved up into the air altogether. One pebble, in particular, broke right beside the Martian's ear, tempting her dreadfully to abandon her dangerous task.

_It's getting worse! I-I don't think I can hold her back for much longer!_

Rei gritted her teeth and clenched her jaw. She felt her hold beginning to slip.

**Crack—  
Wooosh!**

A fissure ran up one side of the barrier. In direct response the wind kicked up around the Martian and the barrier's light flickered.

_Grr...Damn it! _Rei pushed herself harder for more energy but her power was nearly depleted. The cracks along the barrier wall were spreading. _If this keeps up...I'll have to resort to that!_

**Crack---  
Crackle---  
Tch---shhck----!**

_I've got no choice. _A golden light began to rise up around the Martian's body. Rei felt her knees become temporarily weak, but the sensation was quickly swept away by a flood of power. Digging her back foot in, Rei mentally shot a blast of energy into the spell. "Hah!" Its effect was instantaneous; the pressure around the barrier was so strong that it didn't just support the current guard, but compressed downwards with an iron grip. Even Hotaru had to arch an eyebrow at this display. But the young girl was not perturbed and Rei was no longer in the proper mental state to ponder why. For a minute, the two stared the other down like two animals battling for dominance.

Hotaru then stepped forward and placed both of her hands directly onto the barrier's energy. Rei suddenly felt a yank on her power; Hotaru's smile widened. There was an infuriating moment when Hotaru's spiritual energy began to skyrocket further. It was expanding faster than Rei could compensate for it. With meticulous precision, her captive pressed one of her hands into a certain spot from within the barrier. The layer of energy began to slip away until her hand had slipped just outside. Amethyst eyes widened in that split second when a bolt purple lightning made a direct attack on her.

_**Crackle!**_

"ARGH!" Rei was thrown back and her connection with the barrier snapped. The barrier instantly broke apart with a deafening explosion.

**Crackle!  
Fwoooooooooooooosh!**

_NO!_

Rei staggered to sit up, but her entire system was suffering from shock. She winced when she felt a pain growing in her legs. _Ow! Geh...shit! I'm all out of power! My entire body is cramping up—Ah!_

"Ho...taru."

**Tup. Tup.**

A pair of glowing red eyes awakened and had its sights trained on her. The dangerous youth made a quick flick of the wrist and a glaive materialized in her small hand. The whispered words of 'Silence Glaive' reached Rei's ears, but it mattered not to the soldier; it was a weapon, a very powerful weapon, and that was all she needed to know. Its blade was just as quickly pointed in her direction.

_Right about now… it wouldn't be bad to hear an 'Auntie Rei'. _She mentally noted.

**DOOOOOOM**

(Audience Chamber, Setsuna)

Setsuna felt the tug from the other end of her mental thread. Opening her eyes, her tired crimson shone with relief and determination. Now was the time. The woman lifted her garnet staff into the air and aimed its pointed end towards the sheets of ice.

"Awaken Usagi!" She cried out and with all the strength she could muster, she thrust the end into the center of the icy seal and broke it.

_**Kablam!  
SsssSsssssSSSSssss…**_

Upon contact of the two mediums an icy mist flew up throughout the room, clouding the atmosphere with its cool presence. From its source another two rays of light shot to either side of the room. One revealed the form of a sleeping, white cat, while the other returned its black counterpart. Setsuna regarded her companion's forms with a calm expression, before, more nervously, she allowed herself to look upon their Princess.

Through the dissipating dust, Setsuna could see Usagi's blue eyes finally opening for the first time in centuries. The golden-haired woman involuntarily gasped for breath and coughed at first, but that was to be expected. Setsuna knew that her body was re-adjusting to the atmosphere.

"Lady Usagi."

"Setsuna...?" Usagi's voice was barely higher than a whisper. The last piece of her memory was returning to her as the final effects of the spell lost its influence over her.

"_Setsuna, what? Lady Usagi!!" Luna's voice rang out._

"_She is alive, but I am afraid that Lady Hotaru is no more."_

"_So, then it was Lady Hotaru." Artemis muttered wearily. "Damn it! How did it ever come to this?!"_

"_We can't help it. What's done is done."_

"_...Luna."_

"_Setsuna, what shall we do now? Has Her Majesty returned yet…?"_

"_I'm afraid...she is also no more… She perished in battle with Lady Hotaru."_

_Setsuna struggled to maintain her calm composure as her comrades came to grip with the news. _

"_No...! No! It can't be true!"_

"_We must seal Lady Usagi away." Setsuna finally said. "Undoubtedly, the tragedy that occurred today was of Apollo's doing. If he should find out that Lady Usagi is still alive, he will surely seek her out."_

"_You mean to put her to sleep." Luna caught on. "But for how long? As long as she is asleep, she will be completely vulnerable. Did you even consider that?"_

"_Yes, I am well aware of the fact. That is precisely why I will need your cooperation in this matter. Luna. Artemis. Will you both continue to guard her as you would have done?"_

"…_Yes. You have my word." Artemis solemnly nodded._

"_But what about you?" Luna suspiciously asked._

"_I will monitor the situation from the outside."_

"_All by yourself...?"_

"_Until the time comes… please, keep her safe. That is all that I ask."_

**Tup. Tup. Tup.**

Usagi silently walked past her Mother's former advisor. There was a new emotion in her blue eyes now: Determination.

_I can sense her...Hotaru. _

**Tup. Tup.**

_It's just like the last time. _Up ahead she could see the purple aura seeping into the corridors before her.  
_  
_"Lady Usagi..." Setsuna breathed.

"Please, take care of them." She shot her a weak smile that rendered her guardian both speechless and immobile.

_I-I can't move! _The green-haired woman had no power left to counteract her Princess's spell; it was futile.

Usagi never turned to look back as she proceeded down the hallway towards the entrance. There was only one goal in her mind now.

_Wait for me, Hotaru…I'm coming for you._

(Moon Palace Garden Ruins, Rei)

_**Shink**_

Rei felt the curved blade touch against her chin. It wasn't even a fight. The Martian watched as the small girl drew the weapon back and posed with a frightening smug smile on her lips. The little snot was actually enjoying this.

_Is this it? Am I going to…?_ Unconsciously she could hear Minako's voice pleading with her not to die. Although their link was forced to end due to the severity of the situation, Rei almost wished that she hadn't done it.

_Minako… I'm---_

"Stop!"

_**Crackle!**_

Hotaru was forced into a premature retreat when a white bolt of power forced the girl back. The two combatants turned their dark eyes towards the palace entrance in time to see a familiar figure descending the steps towards them with perfect grace.

Amethyst eyes looked upon her 'saviour'.

_That dress… her hair and that face, I remember now! She was in the vision! But...I thought she was killed in that accident! Why is she here?!_

"Hotaru, please stop this!" Usagi appealed once again. This time, she was not crying or trembling. Against this mighty power she stood tall and held her head high. It was as though she was the splitting image of their mother. But inside, Usagi's heart was still that of a young girl's. The magnitude of their situation was a heavy burden upon her shoulders.

She would meet it.

Hotaru cocked her head towards the newcomer with, at first, eyes of indifference. The dark-haired youth then slowly turned around to face the one who challenged her authority and interrupt her fun. That was odd. The face was somehow familiar; the tiny thought of coherency pricked at the back of the woman's mind, however she decided to pay it no attention. It was all fun and games now. What her body craved for was destruction. She lusted for power and this person, this blue-eyed individual who dared to confront her, had it.

It piqued her interest.

The Silence Glaive now found a new worthy opponent. She stepped over Rei's battered body, ignoring the half-dead woman as she would a grain of sand in the desert, and offered up her own challenging response to her opponent. She lifted her weapon and turned its blade towards Usagi's direction, now pointing at the woman's slender throat. That would be her target, she silently declared.

The action perturbed her sister somewhat. It was just like her dream.

"Will you not change your mind? Don't you recognize me at all, Hotaru? It's me, Usagi!"

But Hotaru wouldn't budge from her position.

Unblinkingly, Usagi lowered her gaze slightly and brought her hands up to her chest. Hotaru narrowed her eyes in suspicion towards the action.

**…****ping…**

_If you won't stop...then I suppose, I have no choice…_

A spark of light ignited within Usagi's palms. If one stood within a few meters of the young woman, they would have seen the transparent, spherical object emerge from her chest and into her waiting hands.

_What is that? Where is that light coming from?! _Rei struggled to get a better look. Her vision was blurry but she could still make out the transparent sphere gaining solidity in the stranger's palms. As soon as it came into contact with the white aura, the power was amplified. Warm waves washed over the area and collided with the contrasting, dark energy of its opponent before the battle had officially begun. The ground began to tremble once again.

As this display progressed, a possibility dawned upon the Martian. The way the object glimmered, it reminded her of something that she had seen back on Saturn.

_That thing in her hands... Could it be a heart crystal?!_

"I'm sorry Hotaru. Please, forgive me..." Usagi whispered, her blue eyes welling with emotion. _If only there was another way._

Hotaru felt a sharp impulse flash through her as Usagi's heart crystal charged up. For a second, did she actually feel threatened? The darkness within her flared up defensively against the light as if it were the nefarious villain. She had to destroy it. She had to crush all that stood in her way.

Hotaru raised her Silence Glaive and summoned up a powerful spell.

Rei helplessly watched as the two women, surrounding by contrasting auras, simultaneously released their powers.

"HAAAAAAAH!"

**CRACKLE!**

**CRACKLE!**

**FWOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOOOOOOSHHHH!!!**

The two powers collided with a mighty backlash of wind. Usagi had unleashed a stream of white energy, while Hotaru was counteracting with a stream of negative energy. Everything in the area trembled in the presence of these two enormous, but nearly equal forces.

Rei braced herself along the ground, finding herself grateful she was already there. Unknown to her, Setsuna was mimicking the very action within the palace structure.

"Nng--!!" Usagi struggled to keep her arms up. The wind was crashing down all around her, but the strain on her heart was greater. It was the first time that she entered real combat.

_I mustn't give up. My friends are counting on me! _She told herself.

Hotaru on the other end also felt the burden. She had already extended much of her energy due Rei and Setsuna's efforts. If she didn't finish the battle soon, then she would go over her limit again. With her purpose instinctively known, she put everything she had into the attack.

**FWOoOoOoOo---oOOOOOOOOOSH!**

Usagi gasped, but did not falter. In turn the woman also increased her power despite the dangerous strain it had on her heart.

**FWOOOOOOOOOOSH!**

_This is crazy! _Rei mentally shouted. _Where can they possible get this much power?! How can they fight like this--?!_

_**crackle!**_

"?!" Her head shot up. Suddenly her mouth felt very dry. "The sky… it's warping?"

A warped space had appeared in the sky overhead of the two combatants. _That thing... where have I seen it before? _She recalled the vision from Saturn. _But wait a second. Wasn't it turning the other way before? Why is it showing up now? _She squinted up to see speckles forming in the shadow. _What is-- _

Rei yelped when pieces of stone shot down from the sky. Instantly she was covered in clouds of dust. The sound of pounding dirt was all around her. The Martian Commander huddled herself together and braced her arms over her head. She tightly squeezed her eyes shut and waited for a stone to kill her, if she was lucky, or for the moment she would be buried beneath a pile of rubble. But for some reason it never came. Rei cautiously opened her eyes and gasped at what she saw.

_The ruins! _She watched as the stones fell atop of one another and spun into place._ They're---They're re-building themselves?!_

_**Tnk, tnk, tnk, tnk, tnk, tnk, tnk—  
Tnk, tnk, tnk, tnk, tnk, tnk, tnk---**_

"Hotaru, please stop this!" Usagi screamed out. She was oblivious to her outside surroundings and was only focused on her sister. "If you don't stop---We'll both die!"

_I can't hold this up much longer! I'm reaching my limit! I don't understand Hotaru...Why…? Why do we have to fight?_

**Ping!**

A bright light broke out beside Hotaru's form. Another purple aura, but stronger, surrounded its chosen combatant. Everyone within the area now felt the new presence and fearfully anticipated its meaning.

_That aura...! _Setsuna recognized it at once.

Hotaru's body struggled angrily against the new restraint. She had been winning her duel. Who dared to interrupt?!

The young woman turned her head to glance around, yet didn't dare to break her energy attack. With her focus now lessened on Usagi's attack, involuntarily she gave the other woman time to push the dark energy back to the center between them once more.

**"****You…" **A voice spoke out. Hotaru's red eyes widened upon hearing this. For the first time since the duel had begun, they held fear in them.

"There's...two Hotaru's?" Usagi squinted against the light. _Am I seeing things?_

**"****Then what they said was true… I sped ahead when I felt our link."** The apparition remarked sadly. **"…Myself… This destruction must end. That is enough!"**

Hotaru's lips trembled at the command. This was a familiarity that her instincts could not deny, and it brought tears to her eyes.

_**Plip, plip…**_

_Is she crying? _Usagi thought, but only Hotaru herself knew why.

With a smile, Hotaru's spirit reached out and embraced herself from behind.

"**I haven't been fair to you… have I?"**

At that exact moment they both pulled back on the attack and ceased the energy flow. The remaining particles of both combatants charged forward and met at the middle with one last gigantic explosion.

_**KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**_

Light permeated throughout the area, washing over its audience and the structures in waves. Warmth fell across the land, only to leave behind the Moon Kingdom in its former glory.

When it was all over, Rei blinked back in confusion. Everything-- the palace and the Kingdom was completely rebuilt. It was as if nothing had every happened, as though the annihilation of this civilization had never occurred.

_Could it be… that when their powers collided, they reversed that time? __Does that even makes sense?_

**Flop.**

"Aww… screw it." Rei moaned. She didn't want to think anymore. After maintaining a link with Minako for over a distance of light-years, sapped her strength over a barrier that happened to break despite her best efforts, AND almost lost her life all in one day she just wanted to sleep.

_So tired... _Rei yawned, then closed her eyes and was asleep in a blink of an eye. It was going to be some time before she would awaken again.

Further back at the palace entrance, Setsuna regarded the former ruins in wordless wonder.

_The buildings have returned, but our citizens..._

"I suppose... that's the way it should be. The dead will remain dead." She whispered with heavy regret. Nothing could bring them back. Bring _her _back.

_...Shame on me... for allowing my hopes to be raised. _She thought she knew better by now.

"Hotaru!"

A quick movement caught the woman's eye when Usagi rushed forward to meet Hotaru. There was a look of disbelief on the other girl's face.

"Usagi...?"

Tears flew from Usagi's face when she flung herself forward and tightly embraced the other girl. "I've missed you so much!" She cried into her chest.

Hotaru felt her heart waver upon hearing those words. She couldn't believe it. _Am I dreaming again? _Hot tears were beginning to sting her eyes. Her arms were already moving before she could stop it.

_...If I am...then I don't ever want to stop._

"...Me too. I've missed you too!" she croaked out and tightly hugged her back.

_So, they have retrieved her heart on time… _Setsuna confirmed with relief. At least someone had a happy ending. _Lady Hotaru has finally returned._

**…****ping…**

Without turning her head, the former advisor sensed two other familiar presences approach her. She knew them immediately.

"Luna. Artemis. It has been awhile." The two guardians had transformed back into their human forms, and were once again awake and aware. No words needed to be said. Among the three comrades, there was a common sentiment.

_However, I'm afraid that this battle… is not over yet._

**

* * *

**

**Next up in HFD, Ch. 23: Moon Kingdom: Advisor**

**Finding the Palace rebuilt and ready for use, Setsuna, Luna and Artemis are ready to prepare their new charges for battle. However, what if the group of young women are not yet ready? There are still many questions about their new direction, past regrets and need for time to heal re-opened wounds.**

**However time is running out… what paths will they take now that they are at the crossroads?**


	23. Moon Kingdom: Advisor

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Sailor Moon**

**

* * *

**

"Luna. Artemis. It has been awhile."

"Yes, it has. It's good to see that you are doing well, Setsuna." Artemis greeted in a cheerful manner. Luna, on the other hand, appeared to look somewhat grumpy. "Oh, and don't mind Luna. She's always like that when she first gets up in the morning."

_**Whack!**_

"Ow!"

"I can speak for myself." The woman huffed. Little did she know, but the familiar action almost brought Setsuna to smile.

_Even after a few centuries, they're still very much the same. _"It's good to see that the two of you are doing well as well. However, there are a few pressing matters that we must attend to. Now that Lady Usagi and Lady Hotaru are both awake--"

"Wait. Did you just say...Hotaru?" Luna interrupted.

"Yes. I did."

"But I thought..."

"Due to the circumstances, she has regained her senses and is no longer a threat to us." The former advisor assured them both. With a simple gesture, she indicated where the two twins were sitting together. The sight brought a smile to Artemis's face, but his partner still appeared somewhat apprehensive.

"I see."

"Are you kidding me? This is great! I'm going to go and say hi right now!" Artemis was about to dash off, but Luna caught him by the collar of his suit.

"Work first, play later." She remarked.

"Wha? Oh. Right..."

"Ahem," Setsuna cleared her throat. "As I was saying... Now that Lady Usagi and Lady Hotaru are both awake, it is imperative that we re-establish the Kingdom's Planetary Core Defence System before Apollo notices their presences. Do you think the two of you can handle it?"

"Of course." Luna replied confidently.

"Leave it to us."

"All right. After you have completed the task, I will fill you in on the rest of the situation. We should also be expecting visitors shortly."

"Visitors...?" She heard the pair question behind her back.

Setsuna then shifted her attention toward the Moon heirs. The elder woman approached the two girls, and stopped a short distance away before she saw two pairs of contrasting eyes peer up at her in curiosity.

"Lady Usagi, Lady Hotaru," She nodded to the newly returned Moon heir. However the dark-haired girl did not reply to the greeting and instead averted her gaze away guiltily. If the action had bothered her guardian, the woman didn't show it. "It is good to see that you both have returned home safely. However, I am afraid that I must cut this reunion short. As I speak, Luna and Artemis are going to re-activate the Moon's defence system."

"Luna and Artemis? You mean they're both all right?!" Usagi cried out. The girl must have sensed Setsuna's foul mood because she immediately shut her mouth. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to interrupt you."

"It's fine... And yes, they are both in good health." Setsuna replied, wearily. "As I was saying, they are both going to re-establish the shields. Until this is done, it is too dangerous for you to remain outside. That is why the both of you should return to the palace and take shelter for the time being."

"But Setsuna--" Usagi protested.

"There will be time to discuss matters later." She noted the crestfallen look and felt a twinge of guilt. "Forgive me if my requests are a burden to you, but there are certain criteria that take priority. The young woman over there, for instance, is one of them. As your guardian, may I request that bring the Martian, Lady Rei, into the palace with you? I will need to tend to her wounds at a later time."

"Martian?" Blue eyes blinked back. Usagi followed Setsuna's indicated direction until she spotted the motionless body of a raven-haired woman across the garden. She had nearly forgotten all about the stranger amidst the crisis they faced at the time. "Oh right. I remember her. She was the one who was holding up Hotaru's barrier."

The sudden absence of warmth from her side brought Usagi to look up to see Hotaru standing up to comply with their guardian's wishes.

"I understand." Hotaru replied in a soft, monotone-like voice. The woman kept her back turned to the green-haired woman's watchful gaze as she made her way over to Rei.

"Hotaru...?" Usagi questioned her sister's peculiar behaviour. Usagi's eyes flew back when their guardian also turned her back and retreated towards the palace. "Setsuna...?"

_What's going on…? Is it just me, or do they seem a little cold to one another? Hmm..._

"Usagi! Would you please come over here?" Hotaru called over to her.

"Oh! Yes, just a moment." She stood up and ran over to where the girl was standing. "What is it?"

"I know this may sound strange, but will you please help me carry her? I believe it will take the both of us to bring her inside." Hotaru requested.

"Ah, yes, of course. It's not a problem at all, silly." Usagi caught on. "Goddess forbid that I would allow you to carry her alone. She looks like she weighs a ton with all of that armor on. Do you think we should take it off first?"

Hotaru tilted her head thoughtfully. "I think... it would be better if we saved that for later. It could complicate things if we have to keep track of all of the pieces and I'm sure she would be upset if we lost something. From what I remember, she has quite the temper when she's angry."

Usagi bent down to pick up Rei's legs. "Really...? So does that mean that you know her, Hotaru?"

"Well, I'm not quite sure if you can call it that. But I'll explain it to you later, all right? In the meantime, where are we going to put her?"

"You know, I haven't even thought of that. That's a good question."

_Hmm..._

(Minako, Space shuttle)

_Rei… I hope she's all right. When Hotaru suddenly vanished I thought I was going to a heart attack._

**. . .**

_Minako stood alongside with Ami on the upper floor of the bridge, holding Hotaru's heart crystal close to her chest protectively. The Venusian was lost within her own world while her companions tended to one another's wounds on the lower deck below. It hadn't been an easy battle, but they all had made it out in relatively one piece. Now if only they could say the same for their two other comrades. Rei's last thought transmission before the link was terminated worried Minako terribly, especially when Michiru informed them that the pair was no longer on Pluto. It wasn't until Hotaru had graciously lent Michiru her spiritual signature that they were able to determine where their missing friends had disappeared to._

_The blonde was about to let out a frustrated sigh when a warm light exploded between her arms._

"_Hm? Woah! W-What?!"_

_**Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen…**_

"_The circumstances have changed. I must go on ahead." A voice rang in the air._

"_Hotaru?" The crystal shone a purple light and lit up the surrounding area. "Wait! Where are you going? HOTARU!!"_

_**FLAAAAAAAAAASH!**_

**. . .**

_She just disappeared, and none of us have heard from her since. Now instead of missing two people, we're missing two and a half! What's going on here?!_

**Bleep! Bleep! Bleep!**

Everyone on deck halted in their actions once they registered the sound. Up where Ami was situated a screen on the computer monitor flashed yellow, indicating an incoming transmission.

"It's an incoming message? But from who?" Haruka mouthed.

"I can't identify the code." Ami reported back.

"Open it anyway."

"I'm already on it." The blue-haired genius immediately hit a series of buttons on the main control panel and opened the line.

**…****Channel secured…**

**...opening transmission…**

**Bleep!**

Everyone was shocked when Setsuna's face appeared on the overhead projector. Although the woman stubbornly upheld her mask of indifference, it appeared that she had run into her own share of troubles.

Haruka was fazed for only a few seconds. "It's you! About time! Where have you been? What's happened? And where's Rei?! Is Hotaru with you?"

"We are all here, safe and sound. The threat has subsided and the injured are being treated as I speak." The former advisor calmly stated.

"And...?"

Setsuna momentarily closed her eyes in thought.

"There is much that I wish to discuss with you all. However, I would recommend that you take some concern for your own well being and concentrate on reaching here safely. I will provide a map for you. Please hurry."

"What? Can't you just tell us over the—Oh for!!" Haruka cursed as Setsuna abruptly terminated the link. "That damn woman thinks she can do whatever she wants! She wants a talk? Oh, then she'll get a talk! Everyone, if you need me I'll be in my room. Tell me when we reach wherever she wants us to be."

Minako observed from a distance as the wind ruler stormed out of the bridge. She couldn't comment much on the other blonde's attitude, but she secretly felt relieved knowing that there weren't any casualties.

_She said that everyone was safe and sound. Then that mean, that Rei must be all right. But knowing her, she's probably all bruised and battered again. I can almost see it right now. She's just so reckless sometimes..._

Minako allowed herself a small smile at the thought. She couldn't wait to get to the Moon now; not only would it be her first time visiting there but she was also going to see her friend again.

_Heh. You know, I can't stop thinking about it...but that battle on Saturn was really something else. It felt like she was right there with me the entire way... watching my back, watching out for me in general. It felt like she was really concerned about me. _She couldn't deny that she had liked the comfort that she felt. It had been nice. _But...I can't keep leaning on her forever. Honestly, it scares me a little. Lately, when I'm with her...it's like, I forget about everything that worries me. Even after I lost my family, it didn't hurt as much as I thought it would. If this keeps up, then I just might... _

_No. Rei is just a friend and nothing more. The war is all that matters now. _The young woman continued to repeat the mantra despite the painful tug on her heart. _All that matters… is winning._

(Usagi, Moon Kingdom)

**Click.**

Usagi closed the bedroom door behind her and sighed in relief.

"Whew. I never expected her to be so heavy... It's a good thing that we had one of these spare rooms handy, huh, Hotaru?"

"..."

When her sibling didn't reply, Usagi realized that her sister was in no mood to joke. Past the bed where they had laid the Martian down, Hotaru was leaning against a wall beside the terrace and was staring outside the balcony. She seemed to be preoccupied about something.

"Did you find something interesting to look at?" Usagi gently asked as she approached the balcony. "You've been staring out of this window for some time now."

Hotaru's dark eyes flickered back to her twin long enough to understand that the woman had stopped right beside her. Although Usagi acted casually, she knew that she was only pretending to be interested in the view.

The dark-haired girl shrugged, but offered no reply.

"Glad to be home?" The question seemed to have caught Hotaru off-guard. Usagi watched her reaction intently, but decided not to push it. "You know, if you're tired, you can go back to our room and rest. I can stay here and watch our patient until she wakes up."

"...Usagi."

"It's not a problem, really!" She grinned. "Besides, I've been asleep for awhile. I think I'd like to stay awake for a little while longer."

"Well, if you're sure...All right. I'll leave it to you then. Please take good care of her."

"I will."

"Good night."

"G'nite."

But as soon as Hotaru left the room, the smile on Usagi's face faded and was replaced by a sad expression.

_Oh Hotaru..._

A blast of light from outside caught drew her attention. Usagi whipped her head towards the window and squinted against the bright light.

In the outside hallway, Hotaru felt the energy surge as well. _So, they've succeeded in re-establishing the planet's shield. She will summon us again soon..._

When the light faded, Usagi saw a glint of light in the sky.

_What is that? Is that...a falling star?_

(Setsuna, Moon Palace, Audience Chamber)

_**Whup.**_

After dismissing everyone, Setsuna staggered into the Audience Chamber of the palace by her lonesome. Despite appearances her injuries hadn't been quite as simple as she had hoped. Her muscles were so tense and sore that the woman was left hobbling and groping along the wall in the dark until she could go no further.

With a pained gasp, Setsuna threw herself against one of the pillars and allowed herself to rest.

_Now that the planet shield has been activated, we should be safe for now… even if it's only a little while longer. _The woman's pupils constricted and she let out a string of coughs. With her eyes tearing a little she thought: _This isn't good._ _It appears that I have expended too much energy. _She peered through the darkness at the familiar surroundings and felt herself become strangely reminiscent. The loneliness that had accumulated throughout the years suddenly came crashing down on her, amplifying the burden she had carried through the centuries.

_...Serenity... _She could still see her smiling face. The memory rekindled a vow that she had made long ago.

_No. I cannot rest yet. This battle is still far from over. There is much that I still need to do if we expect to stand any chance against him. _

Leaning her weight against her staff, the woman began to concentrate on taking slower and deeper breaths. It helped a bit, since her energy began to replenish itself. A faint crimson light lit up around her body and began to heal her injuries.

Before she could stop herself, she thought: _It's a good thing that the others cannot see me now._ The thought shocked woman.

"What am I thinking?" _When did it ever matter what others thought of me? _

_Between back then..._ When she was under constant suspicion of being a traitor, _and now... _When she was under the assault of everyone's accusations, especially Haruka's and Luna's,

_...there is no difference._

**Tup… tup…  
Tup… tup…**

The sound of approaching footsteps reached Setsuna's ears. From the two auras in the lead the woman realized that Luna and Artemis were escorting their guests her way.

_It seems that Luna and Artemis have found them. They have all improved to a degree, but it is still not enough._

_To stand a chance against Apollo, they will all need to undergo strenuous training. The children still lack many important qualities that their former predecessors had possessed, and yet their mentors have all fallen. Keeping this in mind, and the uncertainty in the amount of time that we will have to prepare, a greater emphasis should be placed on our strategy if we ever hope to defeat him once and for all. _

_Come to think about it... when we defeated him all of those years ago, could it truly be considered a victory? Perhaps it was merely another prelude in this twisted maze of life. I wonder...This new path... will end in our destruction, or our salvation? It is strange, but as old and powerful that I am, even I cannot foretell this future._

The footsteps stopped outside the doorway, and Setsuna stood up and straightened her back. She then walked to the center of the floor and waited in anticipation as the doors began to open and light streamed into the dark room.

_However...the new generation has an advantage that we did not have in the past. Now that Lady Usagi and Lady Hotaru have re-joined our ranks, perhaps..._

As the Audience Chambers doors opened and a group of familiar faces walked inside, Setsuna could do nothing more but hope.

_Now is it the time._

_**Creeeeeeak.**_

"I bid thee welcome. Please come in, there is much to be discussed."

(Usagi, Upper Floor Bedroom)

After Hotaru had left the room, Usagi had pulled over a chair and sat down at her guest's bedside. The Moon Princess was currently tending to the woman as promised; Usagi's arms were stretched out over the unconscious woman's body, palms down. A white light was being emitted from her hands. Everything the light touched was being completely healed at an unusually quick rate. It wouldn't be long before she had finished the task.

"Whew. Done..." Usagi breathed a sigh of relief and sat back into her chair. She had to admire her handy-work. _I've got to admit, I still got it. _She smiled in satisfaction to herself. However, without anything to preoccupy her mind she soon found herself staring at the other woman in wonder.

"Well, how do you feel? Are you feeling any better?"

"..."

"Are you, having a good sleep?" Unconsciously, she reached out and stroked the woman's cheek. Her blue eyes were filled with emotion. "It's strange... I'm talking to you, but I don't even know your name. My name is Usagi. What's yours?"

When Rei didn't reply, Usagi's hand fell down into her long, silky strands and started playing with them.

"You know...I think this is the first time that I've met anyone my look at all the armor you were wearing," she referred to the pile of metal on the floor. There were still a few pieces on Rei's upper chest remaining. "Setsuna said that you are a Martian. So, that must mean that you're from Mars, right? It's kind of funny, because you remind me of someone else that I met from Mars. His name is Ares. Have you ever heard of him? They say that he's the God of War, and one the strongest fighters amongst the Gods. I was just thinking... that you almost look like him. Oh! B-But I mean, you're not as big of course, and you're female... You're also... a lot prettier," she quickly added and was met by silence once more.

_What am I doing, talking to her? It's not like she can hear me._ _Still, even if she isn't talking back, I do feel a little better. I wonder why that is..._

"It's really strange..." She wondered aloud. The woman absent-minded removed the last piece of Rei's armor and was surprised when something dropped out. "Huh? Oh, what's this?" Usagi picked up the pouch.

_It's light. I wonder what's inside of it. _A thoughtful look crossed her expression. _No, I shouldn't open it. It's none of my business._

"Mm..."

Usagi blinked when the figure in the bed groaned and began to stir. She quickly stuffed the pouch into a nearby drawer. _Wait a second! Is she waking up already?! But her wounds—_

Rei tried to sit up, but she felt a hand gently pushing down on her shoulder.

"Hey, you shouldn't move around too much. You may re-open your wounds if you do."

"What...?" The Martian opened her eyes and blinked back at the bleary face. "Why is the ground so soft?" She was surprised by the giggle that followed the comment. Rei immediately tried to bolt upright, but she yelped when there was a painful tug on her hair. "Ow! What the--?! What do you think you're doing--" She whipped her head in Usagi's directly, ready to shout out a string of curse words when she was stunned into silence.

Usagi was looking back at her with an uneasy expression, but Rei thought she was seeing double.

_No way. It can't be, can it? _"...M-Minako?" She didn't dare to breath.

The blonde woman tilted her head and peered at the Martian with piqued interest.

"No. I'm afraid not. You must have mistaken me for someone else. But I'm guessing that I look like this Minako person?"

_That's right, she isn't Minako. _Rei tried to grasp the situation and calm down a little. In her confusion she had made a silly mistake. _Her hair and her aura are different. _

"If you aren't Minako, then who are you?" She shot back suspiciously. Usagi was momentarily taken aback.

"...My name is Usagi."

"Well then, Usagi... would you please let go of my hair?"

"Oh? Oh! I-I'm so sorry! I- I umm…" Usagi let go of the strands, thoroughly embarrassed. Her face turned beat red. She couldn't quite believe that she had been scolded by another person who 'looked' her age and wasn't family.

"Anyway, what happened after I passed out? Where are Hotaru and Setsuna?"

"I-I... well... that is..." _Ahhh...why am I stuttering?_ "Hotaru is resting, and I don't know where Setsuna is."

"She's... resting." Rei arched an eyebrow. "So what are you saying? Did she receive her heart crystal back or something? The last thing I remember, the two of you were fighting. And the ruins...!" She gasped. "I need to talk to Setsuna!" She suddenly declared.

"Wait! You can't!"

"Get--out of my way!"

_**Clatter-!**_

"Eeek!!!"

_**Ping!  
Creeeeeeeak.**_

Without warning, the door opened to reveal a pair of troubled blue eyes staring back.

Minako stood in the doorway with her face flush and her mouth slightly agape at what she saw. She had no idea that Rei was such a player in her absence. The way her raven-haired friend was pressed up tightly against another woman on the floor was… no, wait. No, the coldness that was beginning to make her see red was definitely NOT from amusement. Behind her, Hotaru stepped forward and saw the scene with an 'oh my' face.

Rei had hit her head fairly hard, so she was a little slow on the uptake. But Usagi noticed Minako right away.

_That girl…looks like me. _Usagi realized. "Is that Minako?" She questioned.

"Minako?!" Rei instinctively scrambled to get back on her feet, resulting in some near trips before she finally found her balance. She nearly ran into Minako in her hurry. "Umm...H-Hey. I didn't expect to see you so soon." She tried to greet with a straight face.

"You look like you were doing well." Minako replied coolly.

"Huh? What do you mean by 'doing well'? If you haven't noticed, Minako, I'm covered with cuts and bru—wait a minute! Where did they go…? Well, I was anyway!"

"Uh huh, sure." The Venusian ignored the comment and turned her back to the bewildered Martian, waving her hand nonchalantly. "Well, it looks like I was worried for nothing."

_Wait, she was worried about me?_

"Umm...where are you going? You're just going to leave?"

"Well, I only came up here because Setsuna asked me to bring you all down for our meeting," Minako lied. "She said she had something to tell us. So? Are you coming or not?"

"We shouldn't keep Setsuna waiting…" Hotaru muttered in agreement.

"Hotaru?" Rei was apprehensive at first, but the dark-haired heir past her to help her sister back up.

"Rei, can you walk on your own?"

Rei felt Minako's piercing gaze on her back, and her face blushed at the humiliating implication.

"O-Of course I can!"

"Then... shall we go?"

Hotaru and Usagi walked out into the corridor together, leaving Minako and Rei trailing in an awkward silence behind them.

The walk was like torture for the Martian. _Umm... _Rei persisted on trying to establish eye contact most of the way, but her blonde companion was refusing to meet her gaze. It was down-right obvious that there was something on the Venusian's mind; Minako's brow was furrowed in concentration and she only stared straight ahead at their two guides.

As much as Rei would have loved to interrupt the daydreamer and ask her bluntly what her problem was, her instincts warned her that the situation that earned her Minako's the ice queen demeanour could become considerably worse.

_Somehow... I get the feeling that she's mad at me. I don't get it. What did I do? _Rei wondered.

(Audience Chamber)

The twins led the other two back to a set of large, double doors.

"They should be in here." Usagi informed them.

Hotaru lifted a shaky hand up and pressed against the doors. They both opened easily, revealing the rest of the group expectantly waiting inside. Everyone turned to look as the four women joined them at the center of the floor.

_The atmosphere... it's so tense. _Rei thought. Her dark eyes noted the two other strangers standing beside Setsuna, but said nothing of it. There was also a brief exchange of glances between Setsuna and Hotaru.

_Hotaru..._ No one could quite believe that the girl was a young woman now. She was the spitting image of the spirit on Saturn but in the flesh.

"So, are we all here now?" Setsuna asked.

Haruka whipped her head back towards at the woman. "It's obvious that we're all here, so quit stalling. Now... are you going to talk, or are you going to keep wasting our time?"

"Impatient as ever I see."

"Well maybe you're just too patient," She countered.

"Would you be quiet already?!" Luna snapped at Uranus, who was completely taken aback by this. "Try to show some respect. You have done nothing but argue endlessly with Setsuna even though she has already clearly indicated that we would not answer your questions until all of us were present. Or, perhaps, are you implying that you think you're more important than the rest of us?"

"No!"

"Then I would suggest ceasing this child-like behaviour _Sir_ Uranus."

Haruka's green eyes darkened in anger. _Who does she think she is?! If anyone here has an over-inflated ego, it'd be her!_

"Luna, Uranus, please, that is enough," Setsuna stepped in to quell the tension between her comrades. "I understand that you are all tired from your journey, but now is not the time to be quarrelling with one another."

"But--"

"Now that we are all here, we will begin the meeting." The room quieted down and all attention was now intently fixed upon the tall, green-haired woman. "First off, I believe that introductions are in order. As all of you have already seen, we have a few new faces in our group. The woman to my right is Luna. She was the Moon Kingdom's scheduling coordinator and was the vice advisor to her former Majesty, Lady Serenity. The man to my left is Artemis. He was the highest authority in the Kingdom when it came to combat expertise."

Both Artemis and Luna made small gestures of respect as they were addressed. Of course, some members of the group were not as impressed.

"Also, you may have noticed that two others have also recently joined your group. One of whom you've already met, is Lady Hotaru," The Goddesses all nodded in unison. "Then... may I formally introduce you to Lady Usagi, the twin sister of Lady Hotaru."

_Usagi._

_So that's who she is. _

Both Rei and Minako mentally noted of the blonde-haired stranger that they had recently met.

"They are both the rightful heirs to the Moon Kingdom's throne." Setsuna finished.

Michiru narrowed her eyes thoughtfully at the statement, but she didn't say anything.

"Is it a pleasure to make all of your acquaintances," Usagi smiled and curtsied.

Rei nearly face-palmed at the expressions Usagi was receiving.

_Just look at them all. They have no clue how powerful she is. _Rei sighed. _But, that battle...When the two of them fought, that was some serious power they were using. Could they...possibly become even stronger than that? _

"As you all already know who I am, I will not 'waste' your time any longer. Thus this brings us to the true objective of our discussion now."

She paused. The others were left unaware of her need for a brief rest.

_Just a little longer… _Setsuna assured herself. She was starting to feel dizzy.

"Many of you, if not all, have witnessed the destruction of our Kingdom. Even fewer have recently seen its rebirth. However… none of you have witnessed _The Battle Against the Sun_, the war in which Apollo's Court, his once most trusted, loyal subjects, rebelled against him and overthrew him. These people... were your predecessors."

'_The Battle Against the Sun?' _The mention had stirred something within Haruka's memory. _Oh, __that's right! The old man mentioned something about this before…_

"If you still intend to defy him as they did many centuries ago, then it is imperative that you understand what you are going up against. For this time, your battle will be far more difficult than theirs was."

The green-haired woman raised her garnet staff into the air. Both Luna and Artemis watched on in apprehension at what they were about to see. Hotaru turned her face away.

"It started shortly after the fall of the Moon Kingdom…"

The staff fell and its tip touched the floor, unleashing the familiar crimson light.

**FLAAAAAAAASH!**

**. . .**

_The Sun King's throne room appeared before their eyes to reveal an image of Apollo sitting upon his throne with an amused smile. Before the God was a young, palace servant. He was down on his knees with his head pressed against the floor as he trembled in sheer terror. The subject had been summoned to report to His Majesty with news of the Moon Kingdom, the worst task that a subject of his rank could be given. He knew that he was disposable to His Highness. He could very well be killed without a second thought, especially of late, given the God's progressive cruelty towards his subjects; even the noble Lords and Ladies of his court were not spared of his tyranny. Thus, where did that leave him?_

"_So... you say that the Moon Kingdom has fallen?" Apollo questioned again._

_The servant gulped and stuttered, "Y-Yes Your Highness. It also appeared that Her… Her Majesty... Lady Artemis has also p-perished."_

'_Now he's going to kill me, he's going to kill me!' The servant fearfully fretted. Please make it fast!_

"_So my sister is dead...?" Apollo leaned over his seat and interlocked his hands in a thoughtful pose._

"_Y-Yes…"_

"_I see. And what of my 'beloved nieces'?"_

"_Dead! They're all dead!" He wailed in despair. "I'm so sorry Your Highness! Please forgive me for delivering such terrible news! None of us thought a tragedy like this would ever happen! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"_

_Apollo inwardly chuckled._

'_Terrible news...?' He thought to himself. 'On the contrary—this is perfect! They're all dead at last! It looks like my niece, Hotaru, did a good job. But to think that she also perished…Hmph. I expected as much.'_

_The God hid his twisted smile behind the back of one hand, and with the other he dismissed the apologetic servant. He was in a good mood, so he'd let the boy live._

"_You are dismissed."_

"_I-I am?!" The youth's head shot up in disbelief._

"_Yes, you may go."_

"_T-Thank you Your Highness! Thank you!"_

_As the servant rushed out of the Audience Chamber, another figure entered. A black haired man with dark eyes strode up to where the Sun God sat, stopping short only to bend himself to one knee. His red armor gleamed in the light with Mars's insignia on the shoulder guards._

"_Ares! How good of you to come." Apollo greeted the God. In the past Apollo would have done away with this formal display of respect and insisted that the man would stand with him-- the two would have shook hands-- however, this time the Sun King made no inclination._

_Ares remained kneeled as he addressed his Lord._

"_My Lord, I presume that you have heard the news?"_

"_If you are referring to Moon Kingdom, then yes, I have."_

"_What shall we do about it?"_

"_What do you mean?"_

"… _I have spoken to Uranus of late. He believes that we should attempt to find the perpetrator of this heinous deed and bring them to justice."_

_Apollo's blood ran cold and his dim, gray eyes coolly stared down at his subject. Ares noticed the shift in the King's aura, but said nothing of it._

"_Nothing needs to be done. Nothing can be done!" Apollo stated clearly and slowly as if the other man were dumb. "They are all dead. Why should we be wasting our resources trying to find this 'perpetrator'? Or are you implying that there exists someone with the power to destroy an entire civilization in one night? A Lord or Lady of my court perhaps...? Are you saying… that there is a traitor amongst us?"_

"_..."_

"_What is the problem now?" He snapped._

_Ares was largely unaffected by the hate in his voice, and continued to peer around the room as if he were looking for something._

"_I have not seen Lady Hotaru for some time now my Lord."_

"_Are you worried about the girl? How very unlike you, Ares-- to be worrying about another! Sometimes it is hard to imagine that you are the most ruthless of my court."_

"_The child usually sits next to you, Your Highness." The War God merely stated. For a moment, Apollo thought he saw something else in those usually emotionless eyes._

"_Are you... hiding something from me?"_

_They both steadily met the other's gaze, none of them breaking contact. But to Apollo's frustration, he could find nothing in the blank gaze._

"_No, my Lord." Ares finally replied._

_The Sun King fell back into his seat, not quite satisfied. He was sure that he had felt another presence… but then again, perhaps it was his imagination playing tricks on him?_

'_No matter… If need be, I will do away with him.' Apollo assured himself._

"_Then you are dismissed."_

"_Yes, Your Majesty."_

_Ares rose to his feet and left the room. As soon as the man was out of the palace and beyond the range of detection, he suppressed his aura and quietly thought,_

"_Did you hear that Neptune?"_

"Unknown to Apollo, I had already met with the Lords and Ladies of his court prior to Sir Ares's visit." Setsuna's voice rang out. "As it turned out, I was not the only one who shared the same suspicion regarding the incident. However, it would be irresponsible to declare war over speculations. Thus, we developed a plan to gather information. It was decided that Ares would infiltrate the palace under the pretence of a visit. Lady Neptune, due to her highly developed sixth sense, would connect through the War God once he was within the throne room. After reading Apollo's aura, and hearing his lack of explanation for Lady Hotaru's abrupt disappearance, we made our decision."

_The scene warped, flashing to the dark depths of space. There was a fleet of ships hovering just beyond the Sun's gravitational pull. It could be seen that each planetary ruler was within his or her own silent thoughts, or consorting with their tacticians. Setsuna, in particular, had accompanied Lady Neptune and was keeping busy by confirming the last of their battle plans with the other tacticians._

_The surroundings shifted once more to show Helios, the capital city of the Sun, as the main battlefield._

_Two particular individuals within the City Square were zoomed in upon. Both Ares and Uranus stood back to back, each of them with their swords raised. Surrounding them was a crowd of children. Each child was armed with a small dagger and possessed red, glowing eyes. Neither party gave a second thought to the corpses of defeated soldiers that littered the ground around them._

_The War God gave a disdainful shake of his head towards their new opponents._

"_So, is that all Apollo's got?" The crimson aura around Ares flared up dangerously._

"_Ares, don't do it! They're only children!" Uranus protested._

"_Just children?! They aren't children anymore Uranus! You can see that just as plainly as I can."_

_Uranus averted his gaze. _

"_You know, I never would've given Apollo this much credit. How long do you think has this been going on? When did he come up with this ingenious plan to train children to become soldiers? They're practically perfect. I almost didn't sense them!"_

"… _Most likely, they were orphans." The wind ruler quietly replied._

"_...Yeah." Mars paused. He watched as the enemy slowly closed in on them from all sides. "Yeah, you're probably right. They probably have no one to care for them. No family, and in this state, no friends either. Poor little bastards."_

"_..."_

"_Uranus... I know how you feel, but it's impossible to take them down gently. Apollo must have planned for this to happen even before he found out that we've betrayed him. They are his tools now, his pawns. They won't stop fighting until they take their last breath. You can see it in their eyes."_

"_I know. You don't have to say it." The blonde man had known the rules of War for a long time now. He knew the risks that were involved. "It's best to just put them out of their misery."_

_Both men raised their swords and bolstered their powers._

_**SssssssssssSSSSSSSH--**_

_In the decisive moment that their enemy attacked, the swords fell and two massive energies of gold and crimson were unleashed._

"_Rest in peace."_

_**KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**_

_Even as the light faded, the two Gods were already walking away from the area; neither was eager to stay and admire the results of their work. It was also at that moment when Uranus and Ares heard Neptune's voice call out to them._

"_Hurry to the palace! We have located Apollo's whereabouts!"_

_Both Gods exchanged knowing glances. Their plan must have worked; their decoy had allowed the others to infiltrate inside the stronghold._

"By this time, Apollo had attempted to seal himself off within a secret, underground chamber below the palace. With his forces becoming effectively depleted, he came to realize that he was cornered…"

_The images blurred, and came back into focus within a dark and dank chamber. On the center of the marble platform there was an intricate, golden pattern that spun outwards within the outer marked circle. The outer perimeters of the chamber were rounded as well and were supported by a ring of evenly spaced-out columns. The spaces between the pillars were like pockets of darkness in the already abysmally dim room. _

_A loud sound resounded throughout the chamber when Apollo punched the marble ground and dented it._

"_Blast it! When did they become so strong?!" The God panted for breath. "But… huff, huff… they'll never find me here. I'm the only one left who knows that this place exists."_

_**Ping!**_

"_Who's there?!" He demanded. When a slim figure in the shadows stepped forward, the Sun God's gray eyes grew feverish._

"_N-No... it… it can't be! You're supposed to be dead!"_

_Setsuna regarded her former Lord with a calm stare, but underneath it she was barely restraining her impulses to lash out. As she took another step forward, the man took another back. He was too shocked to do anything._

"_Perhaps you would have been the only one to know of this place… IF I had died," She corrected him._

_Apollo felt his throat constrict and his mouth go dry. Once glance at those crimson eyes told the man everything he needed to know and more. Stunned, he watched his former advisor lifted her garnet staff into the air._

"_W-Wait a minute Setsuna! Can't we talk this out? It was all a simple mistake!"_

"_...You're right. It was a mistake, but on your part." _

_As if on cue, all of Apollo's former court emerged from the shadows. Each God and Goddess took their respective places in the spaces between the pillars, completely surrounding their corrupted Lord who stood at the center of their formed circle._

"_W-What?!" The Sun God whipped his head around, fearfully. His eyes came to stop on Setsuna as the red jewel of her staff began to glow. It suddenly dawned on him of who the mastermind of this trap was._

"_You're the one! You organized this! It's was all you, wasn't it?! Ares!" He turned towards the War God. "Are you really going to betray me? You've always been my most loyal subject!"_

_Cold, dark eyes stared back at the grovelling man. The images of the possessed children were still very vivid in his mind._

"_That is enough Apollo." He growled._

_Apollo's eyes widened as the rest of his 'loyal' subjects agreed._

"_Though you may not realize it, you have already fallen…"_

"… _You are no longer the ruler you once were, but rather, a shadow of your former self."_

"_Once we all were proud to serve under you as our Lord…"_

"… _But no longer."_

"_In light of your cruelty and crimes, we of your former court will pass judgement."_

"_No!" Apollo cried out. Now entirely cornered, the man's survival instincts kicked in; his powers surged up and radiated throughout the room. "I will not... be defeated by the likes of you! Who do you think you are to pass judgement on ME?!"_

_In stride, the Gods and Goddesses also called upon their powers. The ground began to quake…_

_**RMM! RMM! RMM!**_

"_Mercury Planet Power!"_

_Mercury's insignia lit up on the blue-haired man's forehead, and his aura flared up. Just as Apollo braced himself for the inevitable attack, he quickly found himself both astonished and confused as the blue light flew to the jewel on Setsuna's staff instead._

'_It can't be!' He realized. 'They're using her as a conductor?!'_

"_Jupiter Planet Power!"_

"_Mars Planet Power!"_

"_Uranus Planet Power!"_

"_Neptune Planet Power!"_

"_Venus Planet Power!"_

_**Ping! Ping! Ping! Ping! Ping! Ping!  
Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen---**_

"_This ends now!" Setsuna cried. The energy gathered within her jewel exploded into a white beam of light and charged the Sun God._

_**FwooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOSH!!!**_

"_NOOOOOOOOOOO!! I won't forget this! I won't forgive any of yooooou! I-I- GAAAAH-AH!"_

**FLAAAAAAAASH!**

_**. . .**_

The crimson light receded, leaving the young group of women strangely silent. All that could be heard was the soft panting for breaths; the vision's intensity had been far greater than the destruction of the Moon Kingdom. Each and every individual felt as though they had been actually witnessing the event personally through the ghosts of their mentors. Every uncertainty, every sense of regret, of relief, had been engrained into their souls.

Both Luna and Artemis had been equally affected as well. None of them knew of what to expect when Setsuna had informed them of the aftermath of the war. None of them knew of the crucial role their comrade had played either-- especially Haruka, who was now starting to see quiet woman in a different light.

_I guess... she's got some guts after all. I almost feel bad for yelling at her earlier. _

Setsuna was the first to break the silence.

"That is how the war ended..." She spoke softly at first. "However, as I've said before, if you choose to follow the same path as they did, then it will not be as simple for you. Apollo is no longer trapped within a physical body. And although he is far too weak at this time to extend his influence to us directly, he has amassed his old allies to do his bidding."

"The shadow creatures," Makoto muttered. "So, they really were those children that we saw…"

Both Rei and Haruka's gazes fell to the floor.

"Yes." Setsuna affirmed. "It appears that their spirits have yet to find rest."

"Then we will just have to defeat Apollo, won't we?" Another soft voice spoke out.

The former advisor found it greatly ironic that it was Hotaru who had made the suggestion.

"I've made my decision. Even if no one else will do it, I will fight." The dark-haired Moon Princess clarified. "I've… I've caused so much trouble for all of you, but I also need to do this for myself. Apollo uses people, and he'll keep doing it to get whatever he wants. I know what it's like to be used... So…"

Usagi gently held Hotaru's shoulder, smiling a little at her sister's decision.

"Not alone," Usagi promised. "I'll be right here at your side. After finally finding each other, there's no way I'm going to let you do this by yourself."

"Usagi…"

"I'm in too." Minako stepped forward. "I know this is probably going to be the most dangerous thing I've ever done in my life... but... it's still my life! Apollo has taken away too many precious people from me."

_I can't forgive him…_

"I'm in as well." Makoto agreed. "I just want there to be peace again. I don't think it's right that we should be forced to fight against one another."

Ami peered up at her friend, pausing for a brief moment. The battle where she and Makoto were forced to fight was still a blur to her, but she vividly remembered almost losing the other woman afterwards.

"Then I volunteer as well. I may not be as useful as a fighter, but I can help with strategy and back-up support."

"Ami, are you sure?" Jupiter asked.

"Yes." She nodded.

"Hell! Can you guys get anymore mushy?!"Haruka shut up when she noticed that her outburst had earned her many stares-- it was more than she could hope for. "Ahem. I think I can safely say that we've all lost something important because of this Apollo bastard. And considering everything that we've gone through together, why would any of us stop now? Why does Setsuna even have to ask us? I know I'm in."

"That's right." Michiru nodded.

Unknown to the group of friends, there was an awkward air between Minako and Rei as their eyes met for the briefest of moments. The Martian had definitely noticed the uncertainty in those blue eyes.

Before the raven-haired soldier knew it, the others had come to set their gazes upon her as well.

Rei knew what was on their minds. The majority of them, if not all, knew by now that she was merely a human with uncanny heightened abilities. In a battle of Gods against Gods, did she really stand a chance? Or would she be the first one to die on the battlefield? The possibility was never wasted on her.

"What?" Rei stared back indignantly. "Do you think I'm going to back out now?" The Martian crossed her arms and twitched. "You people are impossible! Of course I'm going! Gaaa-ah!"

She cried out in surprise when Haruka ambushed her from behind with a rough hug.

"Yes! That's the spirit Rei! Now we'll just have to toughen you up with some more training!"

"G—aah! Get off of me Haruka!"

_**Whack!**_

"Ow…"

"Ahem." Setsuna gave a little cough. "Then I take it that you are all committing to this path?"

"Yes!" Everyone cried out in unison.

Setsuna had to admit she was impressed by this display. _So, even after hearing everything I had to say, they're still going to fight? _Whether it was due to foolishness or bravery, it was unknown to the woman, but she was certain about one thing—their hearts were in the right place.

_Now, the rest is up to us. _She affirmed to herself.

"Luna." The former advisor requested.

"Yes?"

"If you will?"

"… I understand." She curtly nodded back. "If you will all please follow me, I will show you to your rooms. You will be allowed to rest for the remainder of today, but starting tomorrow we will begin your training."

As everyone turned to follow the woman, Rei hung back for a moment.

"Umm, Minako?"

The blue-eyed Goddess briefly considered stopping to talk to her friend until the image of seeing Rei in that other blonde's arms came back to mind.

"...Not now Rei." Minako sighed and then followed after the group, leaving the Martian the last one to follow.

As the distance between them increased, all she could think was,

_What the hell?!_

* * *

**Next up in HFD, Ch. 24: Moon Kingdom: First Night**

**It's the group's first night staying over at the Moon Palace. **


	24. Moon Kingdom: First Night

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Sailor Moon**

**

* * *

**

It was night-time when the group left the Audience Chamber. Luna led them through the palace until they reached a large staircase that led up to the second floor. At the top of the stairs, she stopped them while she doubled checked the sketch on her clipboard.

Rei found out that she was in the third room down the hall, the closest out of the group to the steps. So she was forced to stand outside the door and watch as the others were led away to their respective rooms. To her 'surprise', Minako still was avoiding her; the Venusian didn't even glance back as the group left.

_What's she so mad about? Hmm... Maybe I'll figure it out if I sleep on it. _Rei sighed to herself. She was about to turn the door knob when Haruka came running back.

"Hey, Rei!" The short-haired woman paused, looked at Rei, and then tilted her head. "...What're you doing? Don't tell me you're going to bed already..."

"What do you mean by 'already'? We aren't little kids anymore Haruka, and I'm tired."

_Woah, someone's in a nasty mood. _"Well..."

"Look. What do you really want?" she shot the woman a sharp look.

"Okay, okay, would you just chill for a sec?" _Jeez..._ "I know you're probably tired and cranky, and don't me wrong, we all are...but I just wanted to know one thing, just one. If you answer it for me then I swear I'll leave after that. You can go to sleep or do whatever you want to do." The comment earned her another annoyed frown, but it appeared that she had the go ahead. "I was just wondering...well, if everything was okay. You know, we were all pretty worried about you. When Minako told us that the connection between you two had cut out, well, it was a big surprise! We were almost expecting the worst."

"Minako said that? Did she say anything else?" She mumbled.

"What?"

"...Nothing. I was just saying that some stuff happened, and I was forced to cut the link. That's all."

"You mean, because of Hotaru? You weren't hurt, were you...?"

"I was--" The remark reminded her of Usagi and when Minako first barged into the room. The surprised look on the Venusian's face bothered her for some reason. "Good night Haruka."

"Uh-wait!"

"Good night!"

_**Slam.**_

"Oh. Umm...Good night then...?"

_Wow, that went well. Hmm... She sure seemed to be in the bad mood. I wonder what's up with that._

Inside the room, Rei stepped beside the bed and peered around at her new surroundings. She didn't sense anything unusual in the room. Feeling suddenly tired, Rei fell down on the bed and curled up on top of the sheets.

_Sorry Haruka... I just, don't want to see anyone right now._

(Rei, her room, late at night)

Late at night, Rei was tossing and turning fretfully in her sleep.

**. . .**

_She was running. She didn't know where to, but it didn't seem to matter. Everywhere she looked it was dark, and the ground was hard and barren. _

_**Fssh!**_

"_Hah! Hah! Hah! Huff!"_

_**Fssh!**_

'_What's that strange smell?' As she ran further, a pool of dark liquid flashed through her mind. 'Blood...?' Something inside twitched and her senses shuddered. 'Oh no.'_

_She ran harder but the smell only grew more potent. There was something up ahead. _

_**Fssh!**_

_Her heart skipped a beat to see the figure's shadow. A terrible crunching sound reached her ears. The Martian came to a halt, and nearly stumbled as a golden light began to shine over the area. _

_Her heart was pounding hard. Suddenly, she saw a face and screamed._

**. . .**

"No!" Rei bolted upright with her hand stretched out. When it met nothing but air, she blinked and realized that she was still in her room.

_Oh! _

"...It was...just a dream..." She let out a shaky breath and let her hand down. _It was just a dream. Get a hold of yourself, Rei. It wasn't, real!_

That was when the Martian noticed that the room seemed brighter than usual. Her gaze was drawn to closed double doors; there was a white light shining through the curtains.

"Huh? What's that?" _Where is that light coming from?_

Before Rei knew what she was doing, she had gotten up and was standing in front of the doors. She couldn't understand it. Why were her breaths coming out in shorter gasps? Her hands shook slightly as she reached out and grabbed the door knobs. The moment her flesh touched the metal, a strong wave shot her through; her head was filled with the screams of people.

**Lubb Dubb!**

"Ugh!" Rei's hands slipped off of the handles as her knees buckled beneath her. The screams had stopped, but her instincts were awakening. She grabbed a fistful of her shirt in pain as the sick sensation from her dream came rushing back.

**Lubb Dubb! Lubb Dubb! Lubb Dubb!**

_Oh no._

"S-Shit...Not...again! Where is it?" She instinctively groped her side for the pouch, but found nothing.

_W-Where is it?! It should be right here! _Rei was beginning to panic. She threw an anxious gaze around the room, but it was nowhere to be found. Then Usagi's face came to mind.

_What a minute. That girl!_

**Rap! Rap! Rap!**

Rei nearly had a heart attack when she heard someone knock at her door.

_Oh no! Not now! _She was starting to break out into a sweat. "Just go away!"

There was a pause. "...Rei? Wait, you're awake?"

The Martian woman did a double-take when she heard the person's voice. _Wait a minute. I know who that is!_

Seconds later, the door was flung open and Rei found herself staring at Usagi in the face.

In the outer corridor, further down the hallway, Minako was walking towards Rei's room. There was a thoughtful expression on the blonde's face until she noticed that there was someone else standing in front of Rei's door. Rei was there too--she was standing in the doorway. What were they doing up at this time of night? Why were they seeing each other?

Rei couldn't believe her luck. "It's you. Get in here, quick!" She hissed.

Minako felt her heart breaking as she watched Rei pulled Usagi inside and shut the door promptly behind them. Unsure of how to react, the Venusian spun on her heel and quickly ran back to her room.

Inside Rei's room, Usagi was at a loss for words when she was suddenly pinned against the door. Somehow, she was getting the feeling that she came at a wrong time. Rei looked like she was ready to murder someone.

"Where is it?" She growled in a low voice.

"W-Where's what?" Usagi stammered back.

"Don't play games! The pouch that I was carrying with me! Where is it?!" She saw the Moon Princess flinch, and did feel a twinge of guilt but right now being polite was low on her priority list. She was starting to see red, literally.

Rei was surprised when she felt a hand gently grasp hers. She didn't realize that she was shaking until then.

"It's in the other room. I can go get it for you right now if you'd like," Usagi calmly offered.

Rei was at a loss for words. She could do nothing but dumbly nod back and watch as the woman slipped out the door. However, Usagi had kept her promise. As soon as she returned with the pouch, Rei snatched it out of her hand and pulled out the miniature gun. Her companion watched in curiosity as the Martian pressed the device against her neck and breathed a sigh of relief when a small hiss sounded.

For a moment, neither of them said anything. Usagi waited until Rei had calmed down before she asked,

"Are you feeling better?"

The dark-haired woman glanced back and saw the earnest in her blue eyes. It looked like she sincerely cared. She almost felt bad for shaking her earlier.

"...Yeah." She said in a quiet voice. "Thanks... and I...umm...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you earlier."

The comment made Usagi turn red in the face. "Oh. I-It's no problem at all. I'm just glad I could help. Umm...A-Anyway, if you don't mind me asking, I'm just curious, but why do you need it? What does it do exactly? Are you...sick or something?" The question came out before she even realized what she had said. "Ah! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to say it like that! I umm... oh jeez..."

_...I did it again!!_

Rei blinked back as the blonde continued to fret. She was momentarily at a loss for words; Usagi was making it a bigger deal of it than she had herself a few minutes ago.

"It's complicated." Rei finally said. "But do me a favour. Don't tell any of the others about what you just saw. I...don't want them to worry."

"Oh. I see...so it's a secret." The thought of knowing something so important made her go red in the face again. _Ahhhh!!! What's wrong with me?! _She could feel her face burning up, especially when Rei looked back at her with those dark eyes of hers.

"Are you...okay?"

"Umm...yes! I'm fine! Everything is perfectly all right." Usagi lied. "It's just, I was thinking..."

"Thinking?"

"Yeah. Liiiiiike--!!" Her eyes whipped around the room for something to use, but then she spotted the terrace. "About that light!"

"Huh?" Rei watched as the woman sped across the room. "Hey, wait!"

Usagi flung open the doors and light instantly flooded into the room, surprising them both. Rei had tensed and half-expected the screams to come back, but this time it was strangely silent. In wonder, they both stared at the light's source in silent awe.

"Oh wow..." Usagi breathed once she had caught her breath again. She heard Rei walk up from behind and stopped beside her. "Take a look at that. Don't you think it's beautiful?"

Judging from the stunned expression on her companion's face, it looked like she was surprised as well.

"What's making it glow like that?" Rei asked tentatively.

From where they stood, they could see the entire Kingdom. Unlike earlier, it was emitting a white light. If one were to look even closer, they would have seen small lights particles rising up from the buildings. The lights would float up from the tips and edges of the structures and then vanish seconds later without a trace.

"I don't know. To be honest, I've never seen it like this either."

"Are you serious? But it's your home, isn't it?"

"...Yeah, but just because it's my home, it doesn't mean that I know everything about it." This prompted a confused look from the soldier. "Heh, I wouldn't worry about it. It doesn't matter anymore, anyway..."

Rei heard the hint of sadness behind her smile, and for the briefest second it reminded her of Minako.

"Why did you really come here?" She finally asked. The question seemed to have startled the blonde. "I highly doubt that you go out in the middle of the night and knock on people's doors just for fun. Especially, someone you don't even know."

Usagi seemed to look thoughtful, but then she turned and looked the woman in the eye.

"...Well. To be honest, I wanted to apologize."

Rei was taken aback. "Apologize? For what...?"

"For earlier. Well, I guess I technically need to apologize twice now after what happened. It's just, you seemed really angry with me earlier, and, well...I felt kind of bad. I didn't mean for us to start off on the wrong foot."

"You mean you couldn't get to sleep because of that...?"

"Huh?"

She thought about how Minako was avoiding her again.

"If that's all it was, then couldn't it have waited until the morning? You don't have to lose sleep over something like that."

At first, Usagi didn't know what to say. But then, she smiled. "I suppose. But if I hadn't stopped by when I did, then you wouldn't have gotten your medicine back. So, wouldn't you say that it turned out for the best?"

The disbelieving look on her face earned a giggle from Usagi.

"...You're...weird." Rei remarked in a flat voice.

"Maybe I am. But at least it's a good weird, right?"

"Hah, yeah right."

"No? All right. Then next time, someone else can heal your wounds."

"Huh? You mean...you?" The Princess didn't say anything, but she could see it in her smile. She didn't know what else to say. "Why?"

"Why? Well, I couldn't just leave you like that. You were hurt, silly."

_I don't understand you._ "I take it back. You're _really _weird..." She heard Usagi giggle again.

The two continued to watch the lights on the balcony in silence. In two other rooms, both Setsuna and Hotaru were watching the lights as well.

**

* * *

**

**Next up on HFD, Ch. 25: Moon Kingdom: Luna**


	25. Moon Kingdom: Luna

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Sailor Moon**

* * *

(Rei)

The next morning came, but Rei found out that didn't get as much sleep as she would have liked. The Martian sat slumped over on the edge of the bed with Ami's gun held firmly in her grasp. She stared at in it deep concentration.

_That dream I had last night... There's no mistaking it. That 'thing' that I saw, was me. _She recalled that there had been blood smeared all over her face, and it was no means by accident. There was a body slumped in her arms. _Could it be... a premonition?_

She heard Setsuna's words on Pluto coming back loud and clear.

"_The medication that you use now is only a temporarily relief. It will not be enough to spare you from your fate."_

_Is it really not enough? _She could see Usagi smiling back at her in total ignorance.

"_A-Anyway, if you don't mind me asking, I'm just curious, but why do you need it? What does it do exactly? Are you...sick or something?" _

_Sick...? _She didn't know if she could classify it as that, but she was feeling somewhat ill.

There was a hiss noise, and Rei lowered the gun from her neck. The injection stung a bit, but she was starting to get used to it now.

"_...You would not search for the only cure? You told Uranus that there was no cure. That was a lie. You...do know of one."_

A pained look crossed Rei's face, and she gripped the gun harder.

"This...has to be enough." With that, she pocketed the item and then left the room.

_It just has to be._

(Main Hall)

Rei was the last one to arrive at the main hall. Everyone else was already dressed and waiting for her.

"Hey. Good morning Rei!" Haruka cheerfully greeted.

"Morning," The Martian mumbled back.

"Aww...What's with that attitude? C'mon! We're finally going to begin training. It'll just be like the old times! Aren't you even the least bit excited?"

"Sure." Rei was surprised when Haruka slapped her hard in the back.

_**Whup!**_

"Oof! What do you think you're doing?!"

"Cheering you up of course, grumpy." Haruka grinned back. "It wouldn't kill you to smile once in awhile, would it? Here, I'll show you. It's like this!"

The two began to struggle against one another when Haruka tried to forcefully pull the corners of Rei's mouth upwards. Everyone else couldn't do anything but watch the amusing spectacle; after all, they were all still tired from yesterday's memory overload. That and it was still too early in the morning.

"Ahem." Luna walked in and broke up the fight. "As good as it is to see that you are full of energy this morning, I would like to begin our lesson now. If you would all please follow me, I will show you to your classroom."

"Oh...Finally! Isn't that great news--" Haruka was so excited that she let her guard down, and got kicked in the shin by Rei just as the other turned to leave. "Ouch!"

"That was for letting your guard down." The Martian quipped as she left Haruka grabbing at her leg and went to follow the others.

"...Owww... Surprise attack...Not...fair..."

(Classroom)

Soon enough, everyone found themselves looking into a very small room. The floor space was taken up by wooden desks, and the shelves at the sides were filled with dusty books. What kind of training were they supposed to be doing?

"Whaaaaa--? You mean we're going to train in here?" Haruka asked in disappointment. "Don't you think it's kinda small? It actually looks more like a library than a--"

Luna tapped her with her clipboard, and said in an exasperated voice, "Will you just take a seat?"

Everyone went to get settled in as their teacher went to organize her notes. For some reason, her clipboard seemed to be rather full this morning.

Rei sat in the front row, and was already starting to get bored. She looked to her right and saw both Haruka and Michiru sitting together in the right-most corner. Directly behind them, Ami and Makoto were speaking animatedly to one another. In the two desks to her left, there were the twins. Usagi was the nearest to her and was throwing her the occasional glances, only to look away again in embarrassment when she was caught staring. Beside her, Hotaru appeared to be brooding over something silently. And finally, in the seat directly behind Hotaru was Minako. The Venusian also appeared to be caught up in her own thoughts; that entire side of the room almost had a dark, depressing aura radiating from it.

_Minako..._ She didn't realize she was staring until the blonde turned her head in her direction. Their eyes met for the briefest second before Rei hurriedly looked away.

Seeing this, Minako also turned away but almost angrily.

"All right, now that everything is in order," Luna began. "We will begin today's lesson."

_Finally..._ Haruka grumbled to herself.

"From this day forth, everyone who is here today is a member of your team. I say this, because that is precisely what you'll need to be if you ever hope to achieve your goal. Your enemy is no ordinary foe. As Setsuna had mentioned to you yesterday, Apollo is no longer a God, but something far more monstrous. If you are not properly prepared, then you may all perish in this war." She looked around the room and was satisfied that she had their attention. "Your training will be split up into three stages. The first will begin with mental preparation. The second, skill development and the third...well, I'm afraid that you will have to wait and see. Are there any questions so far?"

The comment earned a nervous look from the rulers. Why couldn't she tell them what their third task was?

"I have a question." Haruka interrupted.

"Please put your hand up."

Haruka was taken aback, and at first she wasn't going to do it. But finally, she caved in. "Oh fine!"

"Yes, what is it, Sir Uranus?"

"So if I'm hearing right, we're going to be doing a...mental preparation thing, first, right?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"...Can't we just skip it?"

"No."

The quick response hurt like a brick to the head to Haruka. It shut her up instantly.

"Are there any other questions?" Luna asked again. "No? All right. Now then, since you will be working as a team, I think it would be worthwhile to take some time to get to know each other. It may sound trivial to you, but I cannot stress this enough. Without any sense of each other, it will be impossible for you to coordinate with one another on the battlefield. To help you accomplish this, I have planned an activity for you. To start off, each of you will partner off with another person in this room. By the end of today, I would like you to report back here and tell the class one thing that you learned about your partner."

Luna sighed when Haruka raised her hand. "Yes...?"

"I don't mean to break your bubble, but most of us have known each other since we were kids. So can't we just skip this and go onto something else?"

In the back of Luna's mind, she thought about how this could affect Usagi and Hotaru.

"So...are you saying that you know every little secret about everyone in this class?" She asked. The word 'secret' seemed to make her students shift a little uncomfortably, especially Rei. "However, if that's how you feel then I suppose we can move on."

"Really?!" Haruka was surprised by how easily that went.

"Yes. We will just have to move onto the next phase of my itinerary," Luna picked up her clipboard and brought it thoughtfully up to her face. She shot her class a dangerous smile. "I hope you're ready."

(Classroom, a few days later)

_Oh no! I-It can't be! Not this! Anything but this!_

Uranus Haruka… The proud ruler of Uranus and of the wind.

The shorthaired blonde stared at her target wide-eyed, her face was pale and perspiration poured down the sides of her face. She suddenly felt alone, left too vulnerable and helpless to defend herself against this unspeakable challenge. The heart racing within her chest increased in its tempo, driving on faster and faster with each strenuous, passing second; her opponent had proven to be too cunning. How did she ever become so badly out maneuvered?!

_Why? Why? Why?! WHY?! This isn't fair! Am I going to fail?! I can't believe this!_

Her time was running out…

_**Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick…**_

"Luna!" Haruka bellowed.

**Bleep.**

A stop-clock signalled the end of the test. Everyone stopped writing and looked up from their test papers.

"Time's up!" Luna announced.

"No fair! You can't be serious!" Haruka stood up and protested in the woman's face. "What kind of stupid, ridiculous, poor excuse for a test is this?! Our enemy isn't going to torture us with trivia questions you know! Why can't we do some fighting already?! It's been three days since we've been here and all we've done is _written_ tests, tests, and more tests!"

"And I see your paper is once again nearly blank, Uranus." Luna peered over at the wind ruler's test paper with boredom. "You fail."

_**Stamp**_

Once again another paper met a grisly fate and had been stamped with the deadly red 'F'.

"W-W-What? NOOOOOOOO! Not again!" She threw her hands to her head and proceeded to silently rant.

_I suck at these tests! Why do they have to be so hard? _Haruka lamented. Unknown to her, many of her companions were having similar thoughts.

_She failed again._ They all sighed, all quite used to the dramatics now. Those who had not known their classmate from their childhood days were quite surprised when they had first saw this spectacle; how could someone with that much power and confidence be reduced to this?

"Although the enemy may not 'torture you with trivia questions', you cannot charge into a battle without common sense!" Luna lectured. "These are merely questions that determine how carefully one considers a situation and its possible outcomes, hopefully, resulting in the safest solution being chosen. An answer of 'I'll chop off all of their heads' is NOT a battle strategy. If you had studied the sheets I had given all of you, you should not have any difficulty in passing!"

"I hate you." Uranus sulked.

The other woman ignored the comment and requested the others to hand in their papers. After a moment of reading through the rest of her charges' answers, Luna marked their scores onto her clipboard. During the quick scratching movements of the pen, the other girls watched on in both awe and nervousness at their teacher's unnaturally fast calculations; it was obvious that she possessed a very sharp mind.

In no time at all, Luna had finished tallying the grades and converting them into the appropriate scores.

"This," She began and startled her students in the process, "is the current standings. As of yet, both Mercury and Neptune are tied in first place having acing all of their tests."

"Teacher's pets." Uranus grumbled. She immediately clamped her mouth shut upon seeing the 'too friendly' smile on Michiru's face (the sparkles really did it for Haruka).

"Did you say something dear?"

"Uh—N-No! Nothing at all! Congratulations on your…umm… performance Michiru!"

"Why thank you." The aquamarine-haired woman gracefully accepted the 'apology'.

Rei rolled her eyes._ You are sooooooo whipped Haruka._

"Ahem." Luna requested their attention on more. "As I was saying… Following right after is Mars in second, followed by Lady Hotaru, Venus, and Jupiter, leaving Uranus and… Lady Usagi tied for last place. Only Uranus and Lady Usagi have yet to pass."

Usagi instantly caught the disappointment in her guardian's voice and resisted sinking into her seat in guilt for her poor standing.

"I'm sorry Luna... I will try harder on the next one." The Moon heir promised.

"What?! You mean there's going to be more?!" Haruka interrupted.

"Yes, there will be." Their teacher replied coolly. "We will have as many as it takes until you ALL pass. No matter how prepared our battle plans may be, all it takes is one screw up to potentially put everyone's lives in danger!"

Haruka's expression stoned, promptly earning her Luna's 'don't give me that look' glare.

"And do not even think of asking Setsuna to be excluded from this! None of us are to disturb her until she has recovered."

"You mean, she is still resting?" Neptune inquired worriedly. "But it has already been three days as Haruka has said. Will she be all right?"

Luna gave an exasperated sigh. "Yes, I believe so. She merely has expended too much energy much too quickly. I doubt that woman has been in any combat since the war."

"Poor Setsuna... I hope she recovers quickly!" Usagi voiced. "Right Hotaru?"

"Mm."

"She probably will. She's as tough as nails." Uranus said bluntly.

There was an awkward silence. The shorthaired blonde was suddenly under the spotlight when the rest of her comrades stared at her with disbelieving expressions.

"What?! I'm not allowed to pay a compliment?" Still silence. "Whatever," She crossed her arms and growled. "Just give me another test and let's get this over with."

"I don't think so." Their instructor brutally shot down the suggestion. "I will give you another test if you so desire one that badly Uranus, however I suggest that you have one of the other girls help you study this time. Obviously you are too childish to be able work on your own."

Uranus groaned at the thought of having one of her friends tutoring her. She already knew who it was going to be and it wasn't going to be pretty.

_Oh no...She's thinking. _From across where she sat she could already see the gears spinning in Michiru's head. The thoughtful expression that the woman had on spelled trouble for Haruka-- she didn't need her powers to tell her that obvious fact; experience said it all.

_Michiru can be terribly brutal sometimes! _Haruka whole-heartedly cursed this blessing.

"I would suggest that you do the same Lady Usagi. Have one of the girls help you prepare."

"You mean you can't teach me?"

"It would be put you at an unfair advantage, and I would like you do learn to do this one your own." Luna put it simply.

"Oh. I-I see…" The blonde woman agreed, having realized the truth in those words. She was mildly disappointed that she wasn't going to be taught personally by the vice advisor, but what choice did she have?

_Well... I guess it's not all that bad. Since everyone's been studying so hard, I haven't really had a chance to speak with any of them. And if Luna teaches me, then they might think I'm being spoiled rotten. That's no good, cause... I would really like to be friends with these people._

Still... the thought of interacting with people, especially those who appeared her age and who were nearly complete strangers to her, frightened the Goddess a little. It's been centuries since she's done anything of the sort, hasn't it?

_But first things first! I need to pass the test! I don't want to be the only one holding everyone back. Now... who can I ask? I suppose I can ask Hotaru, but lately it feels like she's been trying to avoid me… Oh, if I could this myself, I would!_

_Or maybe..._

Automatically, her blue eyes turned to her classmate sitting to her immediate right. For a moment Usagi's breath caught in her throat; the way the light fell in through the windows and highlighted the Martian's hair, how the wind played with the strands, and how her expression was so serious—it utterly mesmerized Usagi.

_It's just last like night_. _She looks...so cool. _She never realized she was blushing.

Rei paused, finding her thoughts rudely interrupted when she sensed that she was being stared at. She turned her amethyst eyes towards the Moon heir and glared suspiciously back.

"You're staring Odango."

"!" Usagi's blush deepened. She couldn't believe she had been caught staring...again.

"So? What do you want? If you have something to say then you should just say it because I don't have all day. Don't you have a test to study for?"

Usagi caught the implication. "Uh… Umm… About that… W-Will you help me study? I-I mean, none of us will move on if Uranus and I don't pass the tests right? And since you did super well, I thought you could help me. I'm sure to pass if you helped! I know it!"

Rei subtly glanced over her shoulder at the Venusian, and noted that she was entirely absorbed with scribbling on a piece of paper.

"...Sure."

"What? You mean it?!"

"Yes, but only on one condition. If I'm going to tutor you then we're going to study in the library. Is that all right with you?"

"No problem!" Usagi was practically melting in her seat with happiness.

Minako's eyes flickered back towards the two women once she sensed Rei looked away. That was close, too close for comfort. But it made no difference in the end; the Venusian didn't like where this was going.

_That 'Usagi', was it, is sure pretty smiley. Does she really have to hang all over Rei like that? _The thought of finding the two of them together last night and seeing Rei pull her into the room was starting to really tick her off. _Are they really going to the library to study? What's with this condition thing? You know, I bet she's probably doing badly on those tests on purpose! Why didn't I think of that?!_

The image of the two kissing in the library suddenly popped up in her imagination.

Hotaru in particular, who sat beside Minako, noticed the blonde's strange behaviour. Minako was grinding her pencil lead so hard into her paper that she was threatening to break it.

"Umm...Minako? Is everything all right?" Hotaru hesitantly whispered. She jumped when the woman's abruptly yelled out,

"No! Nothing's wrong!" Minako hit the desk in frustration. Her little outburst drew the curious gazes of all her companions, both embarrassing and infuriating the Venusian even more. Especially the way Rei was looking at her; the Martian's blank expression was driving her insane. Didn't she get it yet?!

"Come on Hotaru, let's go study." Minako impulsively grabbed the pale woman's arm and proceeded to drag her out of the room.

"W-What?"

"You'd help me right? I almost screwed up on the last question last time."

"Well, I suppose I could help if you really needed it---"

"Great!"

_**Slam!**_

The door slammed behind the two Goddesses as they exited, leaving the rest to wonder what that unusual performance was about. Rei, on the other hand, was left feeling guilty. Minako was looking at her just before she left and she was definitely angrier than usual.

"Rei...? Are you feeling all right?" Usagi worriedly asked. Was her condition acting up again?

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it." Rei sighed.

Haruka and Michiru rose from their seats and also made their way to follow after the two women.

"Well, I suppose we shall also take our leave." Michiru addressed their remaining friends. "There is much studying to be done and so little time to do it. Wouldn't you agree, Haruka?"

Uranus refused to meet her friends' eyes and instead muttered something under her breath. It was a wonder that Michiru didn't drag the taller woman out by her ears when they finally left--- the vibes radiating off of the aqua-haired woman, despite her calm demeanour, contained more than mild annoyance.

(Outer corridor, Michiru)

Once they were out of hearing range, Michiru halted in her steps and brought Haruka to do the same.

"Well?" She questioned.

"Well what?"

"Haruka... I know that you are not as 'dumb' as Luna is making you out to be. It eludes me as to why you haven't passed yet. If anything, you should be near the top. You excel at war strategies!"

"Well… yeah." She muttered.

"Then what is the problem? And don't even think of telling me that you haven't studied hard enough. I happen to know that you know everything in Luna's sheets like the back of your hand."

"I-It's not that Michiru. I do know the material! But…"

"But…?" She raised an eyebrow. "Then what was that answer, 'I'll chop off all of their heads'? Or are you suddenly regretting this decision to fight?"

Haruka turned away. "I was angry."

This confession prompted her partner to arch an eyebrow.

"On my test, that was the only question that was remotely related to war tactics. All of the other questions were based on random subjects. Like computer engineering using Mercury's standards, or trying to identify different plant species from Jupiter. By the time I got to the last question, I just didn't care anymore." She remembered back to how she felt when she stressed over the paper. "I really do want to fight. I really want to beat Apollo once and for all! But it's like… that woman doesn't want me to pass!"

Michiru was silent for a moment. "I knew there was the possibility of receiving different tests papers… but if what you're saying is true then there must be a reason for it."

"Yeah, she hates me."

"No, that may not be it." Michiru considered carefully. "If you haven't forgotten, 'Lady Usagi' has yet to pass as well."

"So… Then what do we do?"

"We wait."

"That's it?"

Neptune nodded, and resumed her stroll down the corridor.

_Although the act may seem unfair, I sense no malicious intent from the woman. This Luna person... whoever she may have been in the past she is certainly not stupid. Since Haruka spoiled her first plan, it appears that she was prepared with a back-up. By intentionally failing a few of us, she is forcing us to spend more quality time together. Hmm, it's actually quite clever._

"Then again, I suppose she may only 'hate' you after all."

"Michiru!" Haruka heard the shorter woman giggle. "This is serious! I don't want to fail again! Hey! Are you listening to me?! S-Stop laughing, it's not that funny! Miiiiichiru…"

(Moon Palace Library, Usagi)

After everyone else had left the classroom, Rei and Usagi had departed for the library. It was extravagantly large in Rei's opinion. Everywhere she looked there were shelves upon shelves filled with books.

The royal library consisted of two floors; the bottom floor was simply lined with these shelves of books from one end of the room to the other. There were no desks or places to sit down. All of the study spaces were actually on the second floor. From where Rei stood, she could already see a good place to sit down and study; the upper floor did not sit above the lower floor with a full roof—its designer appeared to have a ring in mind when they designed it. The upper floor circled around above the bottom level, and was connected by a set of staircases that reached down from either side of the room. As if to make up for the lack of space provided by the design, the upper floor had shelves reaching all the way up along the walls. Some of the books could only be reached through the use of a rolling, step ladder.

The pair made their up to the second floor and stopped at one of the groups of tables.

"So, where shall we start?" Usagi asked her new tutor.

"Hm? Well… I think it would be for the best if you studied the sheets that Luna gave us. Do you have them here?"

"Yes, they're right here." She placed the piles onto the table. The booklets landed on the surface with a soft thud.

Rei took some time to check over the packages to make sure they were all there. The sheets were somewhat disorganized and out of order, but for the most part it appeared that everything they needed was there.

"All right then. To start off, can you tell me what you've looked over and what you're having trouble understanding?"

Her request was met by dead silence.

_Umm..._ Rei couldn't help but feel uneasy when she saw the glassy expression on Usagi's eyes. _Has she even looked at any of this? Jeez..._

"Okay. Tell you what. You sit here and start looking through these sheets. When you think you have a question, then call me. I'll be over there checking out some books, all right?"

"Oh, well... all right."

Sometime later, Rei had amassed a good pile of books. She sat down at a table farther down from where Usagi was studying and picked up the first book from the pile. After flipping through its contents and finding nothing, she put it down and picked up the next one. This pattern continued for some time until she was nearing the end of the stack.

_Damn it. It's not in this one either. _She flipped back and forth between the pages and sighed. Her head was starting to hurt, but for more than one reason. _I really should have gotten more sleep last night. _Then again, she didn't expect to spend day after day researching in the library until she saw how huge it was.

That was when she noticed something peculiar. It was quiet, too quiet.

_Hmm... You know, I haven't heard from Usagi for awhile. Maybe I better go and check up on her._

What Rei discovered when she returned to the table made her hair stand on end; Usagi had fallen asleep and was drooling all over Luna's study sheets.

_She-- She fell asleep?!_ Feeling a little more than annoyed, Rei pulled a book off of a nearby shelf and raised it high over her head. A loud noise resounded throughout the library when she brought text down beside the sleeping blonde's head.

_**Bam!**_

"Yipe!"

"Hey! What do you think you're doing, falling asleep like that? You're supposed to be studying!"

"Oh! W-Well, you see..." She saw Rei patiently wait for the excuse, and gulped. "Sorry. I guess I just got side-tracked, and before I knew it... I guess I fell asleep."

Rei knew she wasn't going to like the answer one way or another, but she asked anyway. "What do you mean you got side-tracked? You know you won't pass your exam if you keep daydreaming!"

"I know. But...it's not like I haven't read through the material. I've read through it several of times already, but it's like nothing is sinking in. It's like... Oh, I don't know..."

The statement had struck a chord in the Martian.

"It's like you can't concentrate, right? So, what's bothering you?" Usagi looked startled by the comment. "It's written all over your face."

"Heh, really?" Usagi nervously scratched her cheek. "Well...to be honest, I wasn't entirely honest with you yesterday." Rei raised an eyebrow at that. "I did want to apologize to you, but I couldn't get to sleep because of Hotaru. You see, we were sharing a room, but for some reason she wouldn't go to sleep. Sometime during the middle of the night, I heard her get up from her bed. I guess I'm usually a heavy sleeper, I mean... I usually sleep like a rock, but for some reason the noise woke me up. So I rolled around and I saw her walk out onto the balcony. At first, I thought that she woke up because of the light that we saw...But she was just standing there for the longest time..."

"You mean she just stood there?"

"Mm."

Rei saw Usagi hesitate, and asked, "What is it? Did something else happen?"

"Not really... I just tried asking her to come back to bed. But she said that she would later because she just wanted some fresh air. But...I really don't think that's the reason."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because... she looked so sad..."

"I see..."

"I waited as long as I could, but she just kept standing there. When it felt like I was about to fall asleep, I decided to take a short walk to keep myself awake. That was when I came across your room."

Rei was silent for a moment. She didn't know why Usagi stopped by her door in particular, but that was beside the point.

"Well... I can't say that I know her very well, so I'm not really sure what to tell you. Have you tried talking to her about it? Like, if she looked sad, maybe she still hasn't gotten over her past or something."

"Her past...? It did cross my mind, but, she shouldn't have to feel guilty for what happened. It wasn't her fault."

"Did you tell her that?" She saw Usagi's gaze fall to the floor. "Well, then there's your problem. If you want to figure out what's bothering her then you have to communicate. There's just no other way around it."

"Yeah, but..."

"No buts! The test is tomorrow, right? So talk to her before then. I mean, if she won't open up to her own sister, then who else would she tell?" Then the strangest thing happened. She heard the blonde begin to giggle. "W-What's so funny?"

"Nothing! It's just... Thanks Rei." Usagi wiped the tears away from her eyes. "It's really good... to have someone to talk to."

For a moment, Rei didn't know what to say. However, the study sheets on the desk were a pretty good indication of could potentially make the Princess feel worse if she wasn't prepared.

"Okay, enough crying already. We have a test to study for right?"

"...Right!" she nodded.

(Hotaru, Moon Palace Gardens)

Hotaru and Minako both sat beside one another in comfortable silence behind the palace. It was a separate garden from the one out front, from where Usagi and Hotaru had initially fought. And unlike the barren place this lone spot still tingled with life; although there were no animals, the grass and flowers still remained-- untouched and uncorrupted of the outside world's battles. It was what one would consider a small paradise.

Hotaru peered up at the clouds above, finding reassurance of her own existence in the blue beyond.

_This feels so nice... I never thought I would be allowed to do this ever again… _She sighed contently and felt a cool breeze tousle her hair.

Her dark eyes shifted their attention towards her study partner. Minako's face was set into a concentrated frown. Occasionally the girl would flip the page of her book, mumbling something under her breath that Hotaru could not quite hear. The sight brought a smile to her lips.

_So, she's still at it. _

The Moon heir was not offended in the least that she was being ignored by the girl. She found herself surprisingly content just watching her. Minako, she had to admit, was very beautiful. It was difficult for her mind to grasp that this same individual, who was so full of life, was the one who awakened her from her own nightmare-filled slumber. The Venusian's outward appearance was rather misleading she had to admit, for Hotaru truly knew of what the younger woman had lost and was well aware of the depths of pain she harboured.

For reasons lost on her, Hotaru impulsively called out to her.

"Minako."

"Hm?" Minako furrowed her brows and flipped another page, but she didn't look up.

"Why have you asked me to help you study? You seem to be doing rather well on your own."

_**Whup.**_

Minako shut the book—so suddenly that it startled her friend. Hotaru wondered what could have inspired such a reaction from the blonde. She continued to watch on in silence as the Goddess retained a thoughtful expression, eyes closed, for a few seconds longer before she inhaled a deep breath and turned her gaze towards the Moon Princess.

"Hey, I'm really sorry about ignoring you Hotaru." She sincerely apologized. "It's just… Well, honestly, I just needed to get out of there. I just needed to get away from everyone. I mean, I can't believe Haruka keeps failing! I thought she was good at this stuff!"

"Really…" Hotaru mused in her mysterious way. Her eyes gleamed at the comment, making Minako a little wary.

"I mean, don't you think it is kind of frustrating writing tests all day?"

"Not really… Using my powers tends to tire me out."

"Oh." _I wonder why…_

"But, I actually am enjoying this." Hotaru quietly admitted. "Although I feel a little guilty for thinking this way, knowing that we should be doing our best to move onto the next training session, I am grateful for the break. When we agreed to fight together, I expected nothing but sparring to raise our powers, to increase our skills and stamina. Yet for the past three days we've been spared that. Instead of wondering whether we will survive, here I am looking at the clouds. I can think, breathe, and relax. Though it may end soon, it was nice, don't you agree?"

"Well… yeah, I guess you have a point there."

_But that's exactly the problem. Because I have all this time to think, all I can think about is… them studying together. Why couldn't Usagi have asked someone like Ami or Michiru to help her? Why did it have to be Rei?_

To the Venusian's annoyance she heard her voice of reason answer the question in a 'matter-of-fact' tone:

'_Because Neptune is helping Uranus, and Ami is helping Makoto'._

Hotaru sensed her hesitance and thought back to early this morning. She wasn't blind; there was something obviously bothering her friend, more than what she willing to admit.

"If you don't mind me saying this, but... you seemed angry this morning. Was there something bothering you?"

Minako's heart skipped a beat. When she whipped her head around at other woman, she noticed that Hotaru was looking up at the clouds again with a peaceful expression.

"It wasn't just this morning… but also after you met my sister. It's about the Martian, isn't it?" Dark eyes met hers.

_Gah! She knows?!_

"Rei." Minako corrected. "Her name is Rei."

Seeing that she had coaxed a response from the blonde successfully, Hotaru's interest was piqued.

"I just… I just thought that I had this all figured out," Minako confessed. She placed the book beside her and leaned back into the grass to also look up at the sky. "In the past a lot of stuff happened... stuff… that I wish didn't have to happen. But I realize that I can't do anything about it. I have to look ahead and focus on what I have to do now, and that's winning this war... I have to get stronger…But…"

"…But…?"

"I'm torn between what I want to do, and what I need to do. Does that make any sense?"

Hotaru immediately understood and connected the pieces together. The image of Rei accidentally caught in her sister's arms came to mind.

"So you're jealous."

"You don't have to say it like that!"

"But it's true, isn't it?" Hotaru was a little surprised at the disappointment stabbing at her heart.

"W-Well… no…? Okay, okay, so maybe I am a tiny bit j-jealous..."

"Does Rei know how you feel?" She saw Minako go red in the face. "I suppose I should take that as a 'no'."

"…So? What do you think I should I do?"

"I can't tell you what to do Minako, because what you decide to do is up to you. However, if I were you, I think I would tell her how you feel about it."

"Just tell her? I-I can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"Because… because, umm…" Minako pouted and began wracking her brains for an answer.

The spectacle made Hotaru inwardly chuckle.

_Heh… She's behaving like a child. Then again, compared to me that's exactly what she is._

"…Because if she doesn't know what she did, then why should I tell her?"

"Because you're obviously the one who is upset." Minako gasped. "Listen Minako… As far as I know of, none of us has the power to read minds. It is difficult to tell what the other is thinking, and because of that... there can be some misunderstandings."

For an instant, Minako thought she heard regret in Hotaru's voice.

"...But before you do anything else, you need to decide on what you want. You cannot move forward if you continue to be indecisive."

"But, what if want you want...might hurt others?"

Hotaru smiled knowingly. "Do you really believe that?"

"Huh?"

"One thing that I've learnt... is that you can't please everyone. It might sound selfish, but you need to decide what's best for you."

_Decide what's best for me...? But what I want is..._

"Minako." She waited until the Venusian looked up.

"Y-Yes?"

"What I'm saying is...You don't have to do it alone."

Minako felt her heart skip a beat. For a second, she almost swore that she was going to cry.

"...Hotaru?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks for the advice. I really needed to hear that." Just then a breeze flew across the field and threw up flower petals into the air, perfectly framing the Venusian's warm smile.

Hotaru quickly found herself blushing, and, shyly she smiled back.

_I was happy I could help._

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**Next up in HFD, Ch. 26: Moon Kingdom: Second Night**

**After being given some courage from an outside source, Usagi finally confronts Hotaru about her odd behaviour of late. What is on the dark-haired woman's mind, and does it have anything to do with the peculiar, nightly phenomenon?**


	26. Moon Kingdom: Second Night

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Sailor Moon**

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(Usagi, Twin's Bedroom)

It was late at night when Usagi finally returned to her room. She stopped in front of the door and looked at the crack beneath it to see that no lights were on. Was Hotaru already inside? A little nervous, she turned the door-knob and slipped inside.

The first thing her gaze fell to was the bed on the far side of the room. It was empty. Her gaze wandered then towards the terrace, and there she found her sister.

_Hotaru... Not again..._

Hotaru was standing on the balcony, staring out at who knew what. How long had she been standing there this time?

"Hotaru." Usagi called out to her. It took a second for the woman to realize that she was being addressed.

"Good evening, Usagi. I see that you've finally returned." There was a strange tone in Hotaru's voice as she said this. Also, it may have been the lighting but her sibling didn't look very well. There were dark shadows starting to form under her eyes and she was very pale-- far more than usual. It looked as if she hadn't slept for days.

_She looks so pale..._

"You're going to take Luna's re-test tomorrow morning, aren't you? I would recommend getting some sleep if I were you. She likes to administer her tests early."

"But what about you...?"

"I'll be fine. I'm not really that tired at the moment, so you go on ahead."

Usagi had almost obeyed her request until she remembered her earlier talk in the library with Rei.

"_If you don't talk to her, then none of you will be able to move forward."_

_That's right. There's clearly something bothering her, and... As her sister, I should let her know that I'm there for her._

"Hey, Hotaru...?" She walked onto the balcony and saw her turn her head, looking startled.

"Usagi?"

Usagi reached forward and clasped her hands in hers. She noted how Hotaru went tense.

"Can I... talk to you about something? There's been something on my mind lately, and... I was really hoping we could talk about it."

"Well...I don't mind, but what about your test?"

"I'll be quick. I promise."

Hotaru finally nodded back. "...All right. So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Well, how can I put it? It's not so much about what's on my mind...as it is yours."

"What?"

"These last few days...maybe it's just me, but it feels like you've been trying to distance yourself from me. And it's really starting to worry me. I'm worried about you. So, if something's been bothering you, you would talk about it with me, right...?" She watched Hotaru glance away. "I'm right...aren't I? There is something bothering you..."

A pained look crossed Hotaru's face.

"...It's just... I don't understand."

Usagi felt Hotaru pull away from her, but she didn't dare move. Hotaru suddenly looked very fragile and delicate, it was if she was about to break down into tears any second. In truth, it scared Usagi because Hotaru had always been the stronger of the two.

"What don't you understand?" Usagi managed to whisper.

"...Is this... really real?" In the shadows of a moonless night, she felt a piece of herself drawn closer to the darkness she secretly harboured within herself. She had stood there at this one spot for many nights, wondering and worrying herself endlessly if she was living an illusion. "All of these years, I was neither dead nor alive. My consciousness persisted, but I didn't have a physical body. It was...difficult. Even though I didn't have a body, I still dreamed. Do you know what I saw...? All of the people that I killed that day, the people, that I was born to protect...I kept hearing their screams and cries for help, over and over again. And even now, I still hear them..."

Usagi felt a shiver run down her spine as those dark-eyes fell on her.

"You can't hear their voices, can you?" She gestured towards the glowing city. Hotaru was trembling. "They're still there...Some of them are still crying for help, but many more of them are angry."

"Hotaru..."

Hotaru gulped. "Every night their voices seem to become louder. I'm...so scared! I know I don't have the right to be happy, but..." She remembered spending time with the others over the past few days.

The beating heart that she felt within her chest attempted ease the nervousness that she felt, but even in dreams this warmth, she knew, could be disguised.

"It's…Too perfect." Hotaru whispered. She once again had the blonde's undivided attention. "Don't you understand? You know what I did... You know! But you just sit there and act like nothing has happened! 'Glad to be home?', 'If you're tired, you can go back to your room and rest'... Are you trying to make fun of me?!" She bit back a bitter chuckle; her body was torn between crying and laughing. "Why would my sister... the only family that I have left, hug me and want me back after everything I've done? Forgiveness isn't that easy. It just isn't. Setsuna wouldn't have come looking for me either, if _that _didn't happ--… heh…"

Hotaru hugged herself tightly, and felt her sanity threatening to slip away. "If you want revenge, then just get it over with."

_Stop playing with me. Chain me up, lock me away, or kill me again if need be. But not this… anything but this…_

"...I'm a monster."

_**Slap!**_

"Ah…" _What?_ Hotaru gingerly touched the reddening mark on her face.

"Stop it. Stop this right now!" Usagi pleaded. Before Hotaru could protest, she was stunned into silence at what she saw. Her sister was standing there with her head down, body trembling and her fists shaking at her sides. She was furious; Hotaru had never witnessed Usagi like this before.

"Usagi…?" She dared to utter her name. It went largely unnoticed by her twin.

"What makes you think that I'm not hurt? What makes you think that none of us are hurting too?! Yes, I know what you did. I saw it all-- I was there! And this entire time, I've been asleep!" Her voice dipped to a low whisper. "…But what about you Hotaru? You've been awake this entire time, forced to linger with this guilt and pain. Isn't that enough? Haven't you...already suffered enough?"

"Usagi, I--" She was cut off by a sudden embrace.

"Maybe I did resent you a little at first when I woke up…" The whispery words touched Hotaru's ear. This is the scorn that she had been waiting for all of these years and she now braced herself for it. Usagi felt Hotaru's body stiffen.

"You disappeared, and took my world away… only to suddenly reappear to take _our_ world away. You turned the sky dark, and painted the streets red. You 'silenced' those who cried for help, those that we swore to someday protect. And you even killed the one who gave birth to us."

…_Mother…_

"But… It isn't your fault."

Hotaru stared incredulously at her twin while the blonde woman pulled back slightly from the embrace. There were no tears in her blue eyes, only raw emotion—all which were absent of resentment or hatred; they were anything but what Hotaru had expected.

"But I--"

Usagi touched a finger to her lips and shook her head.

"It's not your fault." She repeated slowly. "This isn't a dream Hotaru. I'm right here... I know we can't bring the dead back to life, but… I've come to realize... that rather than having you disappear again, I would rather have my sister back. So... please don't go away, please don't ever leave me alone again."

Hotaru let out a breath that she never knew she had been holding. It felt like a great burden was lifted from upon her shoulders-- her heart had never been lighter since the ill-fated night all of those centuries ago. While a part of her wanted to push Usagi away and accuse it all of being a trick of her mind, another piece of her spoke out; her sister hadn't merely brushed away the past as if it were nothing. Hotaru's actions had been acknowledged, tried, and, for now, forgiven.

_I want to believe in this more than anything…_

"Shall we?" Usagi reached her hand out to her sister. "It's a little cold outside, don't you agree? Why don't we go back inside?"

Hotaru hesitated only for a second, but then she shyly took her hand and they both went inside together. That night, the two of them shared a bed in peaceful slumber. In her sister's comforting embrace, the voices outside suddenly didn't seem so loud.

Outside of the glowing city, Setsuna continued to watch it with a contemplative look.

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**Next up in HFD, Ch. 27: Moon Kingdom: Artemis**

**With a little push from Rei, Usagi and Hotaru were able to make some amends to their troubling past. However, there still seems to be some conflicts between certain individuals. Will Minako follow through with Hotaru's suggestion? And if she does, will Rei even hear her out or will their next stage of training prove more than either can handle?**


	27. Moon Kingdom: Artemis

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Sailor Moon**

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(Rei)

The next morning, Rei awoke to the sound of an insistent knocking at her door. It was still dark outside, so she hadn't slept in to her knowledge.

_Who could it be at this time of the day?_ She grumbled as she got up from her bed and stumbled over to the door. When she opened it, she saw blue eyes and instinctively jumped back in shock.

Usagi giggled. "Good Morning! Did I scare you?"

Rei slowly relaxed when she realized who it was. "Uhh... No! Of course not! Don't be ridiculous! But for a second there, I thought you were someone else..." She mumbled.

"Hm?"

"Never mind. Anyway, what are you doing up so early? Did everything go well with Hotaru?"

"Yes!" Usagi beamed. "And it's all thanks to you!"

"Ahh...well, I didn't actually do anything..."

"Don't be silly! I wouldn't have gotten the courage to talk to her if it weren't for you. Oh! And guess what? I have a surpriiiiise you for."

Rei watched as the blonde begin to rummage for something in her dress. "What?" She asked suspiciously.

"Take a look for yourself!"

A piece of paper was shoved into the Martian's face. She had been caught off-guard, but she took the paper nonetheless. _Is this... a test paper_?

"Oh, that's right. I remember now... the re-test was scheduled for this morning, wasn't it?" Her amethyst eyes trailed up to the red, circled score on the upper-right corner. Usagi was practically bouncing on the spot. Despite herself, Rei couldn't help but smile. "Well, it's not rocket scientist smart, but I'll suppose it'll have to do. A pass is a pass."

"Pfft. Thanks a lot! It wouldn't kill you to say something nice, would it?" She ripped the paper back in feigned anger. "But...I am grateful for your help. I'm so happy I think I could hug you. Actually, I think I will!"

"What?! Gah!" Before Rei could react, she was knocked right over and off her feet. In her mind she was glad that Usagi was happy, but she thought this was a bit excessive; it was the second time in her life when she thought she was a mistreated teddy bear, and this time it really bothered her.

"H-Hey, get off!" Usagi was surprised when she was roughly pushed off. "I'm glad you're happy you passed, but please keep your hands to yourself!"

The blonde blinked back. "Oh! I'm sorry... It's just...well, I was just really happy." She smiled. "I guess it's just something I do when I'm with my friends. But, if it bothers you, then I will try to refrain from doing it. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."

"It's just... no, never mind." Rei sighed. She was looking somewhat flush in the face, something that Usagi found adorably enduring.

"Hey, Rei...?"

"Hm?"

"Do you like anyone?" The words had slipped out before she could stop herself. It completely threw Rei in a loop.

"What?! W-What are you talking about?"

"So, you do?"

"NO!!" Usagi leaned back on her heels and was looking thoughtful, but Rei was close to sweating bullets. "Besides, what kind of question is that?"

"Oh. Well, it--it's nothing. I was just curious, that's all. Anyway, I also came to tell you that Haruka also passed as well. So we'll be starting the next stage of our training today."

**Tup!Tup!Tup!Tup!Tup!Tup!**

They both paused when they heard a storm of footsteps coming closer.

"WOOOHOOOO! I FINALLY PASSED!"

"Uranus, would you please sit down and be quiet! You'll wake everyone up!" Luna thundered after her. In the distance, the footsteps began to die down again.

"So...I see." Rei sarcastically remarked.

"Eh heh...Well, I guess it's a good thing that she's so energetic." Usagi smiled. "It's never boring when she's around. And besides, I think it's a good thing for Luna. She's been asleep this entire time just like me. So it'll be good for her to get back into things."

"I see."

Usagi nodded and then stood up. Rei stood up as well.

"Well, that's all I came to tell you. And, I'm very sorry for waking you up. I was just so excited that I couldn't wait to tell you."

Rei suppressed the urge to yawn. "Don't worry about it. What are friends for, right?"

The comment made Usagi beam. "Well, I suppose I should be going now. There's something else that I need to take care of. So...I'll see you later? Remember, we're all going to meet in the Great Hall an hour from now, so don't be late!"

"Yeah, yeah..." Rei finally yawned as the girl left. But as soon as she stepped back into her dim room and shut the door, she collapsed to her knees with a huge sigh of relief.

_What was that about?!_ She could feel her face burning, and her heart was racing for no absolutely no reason. She couldn't get the feeling of being hugged out of her head—it almost made her want to squirm and bury her head underneath a pillow.

_When she hugged me... it felt weird. I just didn't want to be hugged by her._

"_Do you like anyone?"_

She could see Minako hanging onto her arm during their adventures, how she hugged her all the time, the way she used to smile at her. It almost seemed silly not to let Usagi hug her simply because the Venusian custom between friends went farther than that.

Rei sighed to herself and hid her face in her hands. _Why did she have to say something like that?! What's wrong with me...?_ She took a deep breath and let her hands fall to her side. She doubted she could get back to sleep even if she wanted to. _Well, moping around won't get me anywhere. I might as well get ready. Training starts in an hour after all. _She got back onto her feet and went to get dressed.

Sometime later, Rei heard a knock at her door again. It was about time that she needed to leave for the Great Hall so she assumed it was the over-enthusiastic Moon Princess again.

_I guess that must be Usagi. Doesn't she even know when to quit?_ Rei walked over to the door and opened it. "Again? You've really got to stop doing this--" She stopped; the world seemed to stop spinning. There was a blonde-haired woman standing there, but it wasn't Usagi.

Only one thought came to mind and her body did the rest.

_Mina._

_**Slam!**_

Sweating profusely, Rei leaned her full weight against the door in an unusually rigid position. She couldn't look the Venusian in the face, not now, not yet. There were so many thoughts flying through her mind at that moment. Things were happening too fast and she was nowhere near ready; the way that her cheeks were burning now made her want to hide her face in her hands and sob in some isolated corner at the ends of the universe.

_This isn't my day._ She whole-heartedly cursed any higher power who had such a twisted sense of humour to torture her like this.

"Rei?! Come on Rei! Let me in!" Minako banged persistently on the door.

"Why?" The Martian tried to say with a steady voice.

"Why? What kind of question is that? Why else? I just want to talk to you, of course!"

"At this time of the day?" Rei was beginning to regain some of her cool. "It's still dark out!"

"Well, yeah, but—Hey! You're up too, you know? What's your excuse?"

_**Creeeeak.**_

The blonde started a little when the door suddenly swung open; Rei glared at her with an 'I am not amused' expression.

"I was--" Rei started, but she found her heart caught in her throat.

She was nearly face to face with Minako now, with only a few tempting inches separating them. All right, so maybe opening the door to argue back wasn't such a good idea after all.

Momentarily her eyes fell to the soft pink lips that were so close and the vow that she'd 'get it right next time' boomeranged back and effectively bashed her in the face. There was no one else around. It was just the two of them. But with that fact, topped with her current distress, it was then that realization performed a hit and run:

_I can't do this!_

"I-was-so-excited-about-training-that-I-couldn't-sleep-alright?" She blurted out in one breath, and then went stomping off down the corridor with Minako following closely behind.

"Doing what? Hey! Where do you think you're going?"

"Away." Rei increased the pace.

"Where?"

"To the Great Hall."

"Then I'll go with you."

"No." Oops, that just slipped out.

"What? Why not?"

"Umm… just cause."

"REI!" Minako threw up her arms in frustration. Any faster and they would be jogging! "What is wrong with you? I just want to talk to you for Goddess's sake!"

_Yeah, but I don't want to talk to you! _Rei silently protested; her blush, to her dismay, still hadn't faded. Even from their proximity she could feel Minako's influence on her. _What would I say? Sorry Mina, I can't face you right now because you're making my body act in ways that I don't want it to?_

"HEY!"

Minako was left gaping slack jawed when the Martian broke out into a full out sprint without warning and was quickly leaving her behind in her dust. The blonde stood there for a moment, rooted in place. Then slowly, after a few seconds, her brain started to function again. Rei was running AWAY from her?

_The hell?! _That didn't just sting a little bit. It stung a lot. In fact, she was feeling a little annoyed right about now. _Oh no you don't! Not after I took forever to drag my sorry butt out here at this Goddess forsaken time of morning!_

**Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup---**_**ZOOOOOOOOOM!**_

Rei finally reached the stairway at the end of the corridor, thinking that she had successfully ditched Minako.

_Sorry Minako. I-I just… I can't… Not right now…_ She panted and tried to catch her breath. _But, now I'm going to have to apologize later..._

"Hm?" Her ears perked up. Did she just hear something? _The wind...is it just me or did it suddenly just get quiet?_

**Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!**

The Martian whirled her head in the direction of the sound and was horrified by what she saw. There was a golden fireball headed straight at her! Or that's what it looked like to her anyway; Minako was downright scary with that determined gleam in her eyes!

"I… said… I wanted… to talk! So… we… are… going, TO TALK!"

_GAAAAAAAAH!_ Rei silently screamed at the declaration. _What's wrong with her?!_

The raven-haired woman leapt down to the next floor, and dared to stop and meet the indignant glare that stared back at her from the top of the stairs. There were only twenty precious stairs and a wall that separated them now.

Minako placed her hands on her hips and tapped her foot impatiently. "Well?"

"Well what?" Rei frowned back.

"I haven't got all day, you know. Come. Here!" She pointed at her feet.

Rei turned her back to the blonde and crossed her arms in an equally stubborn pose. "Hmph."

_Oh, that's reeeeeal mature. _Minako griped to herself.

From the back angle Rei appeared to be her usual detached self. However, that was far from the truth. In reality, Rei was having an extremely difficult time keeping a straight face. Actually talking to Minako again and knowing that she wanted to talk to her was making her infuriatingly happy. No matter how hard she tried to keep focused on the seriousness of the situation, her mind kept creeping back to how much she wished Minako would wear less revealing clothing.

The first time she had met Minako and they were trying to figure out her measurements, the _'what ifs'_ said it all.

_ARRRRRRRGH! What the hell?! Why am I acting a teenager who just hit puberty?!_

"Hey, are you even listening to me?! We have to get to the Great Hall soon! If you don't mind, I'd like to get this done and over with before then!"

"You can wait."

"What did you just say?!"

"It's not like you're going to grow older anyway." Rei turned around and waved at her casually. This earned her another dangerous stare. If Minako had 'anger gauge' from one to ten, with ten being the worst, Rei figured she just hit level seven.

"Maybe not, but you will." Minako countered.

"…Point taken. BUT if I grow old waiting down here, I just might lose my hearing and you won't be able to talk to me, now, would you?"

Rei barley registered the golden streak dashing up the stairs before she could take off down the corridor. Now she had done it. There was no way Minako was going to give up now, and, secretly, it was exciting. She was almost giddy.

The Martian cut through the corridor and down the stairwell at the other end to the lower level. She could almost hear the swarm of questions that were surely waiting for her if she was caught before then: Why did you run from me? Is there something on my face? You don't like me anymore? Rei squirmed at the very thought of a Minako styled interrogation. Up ahead she could just make out the opening where the others were surely to be waiting.

_Just a little further! _She had nearly made it to the exit when Minako's footsteps suddenly stopped. _Her footsteps—they just..._

A shadow loomed overhead.

"Oh no you don't!"

"Huh?!"

Before the Martian yelp a heavy weight crashed down atop of her and roughly dragged her to the ground. Both her and Minako were sent tumbling-- dark and blonde hair being tossed everywhere-- as they slid to a halt in the Great Hall.

When the world finally stopped spinning, Rei released a long, regretful groan; Minako was on top of her, pinning her arms down at her sides and straddling her. There was no escape now.

_This isn't good…_ She didn't even need to look. She knew everyone was looking at them right now and she wished that Minako would hurry up and notice it too.

Minako breathed heavily for a moment, trying to catch her breath. She finally had Rei where she wanted her, but the way she had pinned the woman nearly made the blonde forget why she had sought the Martian in the first place. It was a sin the way Rei was so damn cute: The way her hair sprayed across the ground, how her lips were slightly parted as she breathed, and how her face was flush. The 'Oh shit!' in the woman's amethyst eyes was also a nice bonus.

_Hah...that's right. You should be scared._

"Now, we're going to talk." Minako stressed 'talk' and Rei's eyes widened. There was a strong pressure on her lower half—nearly making her squirm.

_No. No. No. No! Minako!_

"Ahem." Someone delicately coughed.

Rei and Minako whipped their heads in the direction of the voice to see that Luna, and the others were all watching them with amused expressions. Beside them stood a white haired man who, unlike the others, was trying to look anywhere but at the two young women.

Minako's grip automatically slackened and Rei was finally able to pull free. Together they both staggered back onto their feet as they awkwardly tried to ignore the snickers (mainly from Haruka).

Luna checked off Rei and Minako's names from her list and lowered her clipboard.

"Now that we're all here, let's get started. First of all, I would like to congratulate all of you for passing your exams. Although it took some of you longer to pass than others, what matters the most is that you all may progress to the next stage of your training as a group. That said, since the next stage is not within my area of expertise, you will be instructed by Artemis." She gestured to her companion. "If you girls remember from Setsuna's meeting, he was the head of our combat division."

Luna started to side-track into other details of their training, but Haruka wasn't interested in listening. She stepped over to the Martian and saw her shoot a suspicious look back.

"So Rei, what was that just now, hm?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" Haruka arched an eyebrow. "You're telling me THAT was NOTHING? I've got to admit, that was sure an interesting position for 'talking'."

Rei glared at her, clearly losing her patience. "Drop it, Haruka."

"What? Why? You don't have to hide it from me, you know? I think it's great that you two are finally together!"

"We aren't together."

"Oh sure, sure---"

_**WHACK!**_

"OUCH!" Haruka grimaced when Luna clobbered her with the clipboard. "Why you--"

"As I was saying," The vice advisor continued, "Artemis, can you take it from here?"

The man grinned and then nodded.

"Sure thing. Leave it to me!"

"Then I will entrust them to you. And! No slacking off," She reminded him as she passed by. He gulped nervously, drawing a few giggles from the women.

Once Luna had disappeared from sight, Artemis breathed a sigh of relief before he shifted his attention back to his new charges.

"So, did you girls have a nice rest?" He inquired in a light-hearted tone. The tired looks he was receiving from the majority of the group indicated to him otherwise, but he thought it would be polite to ask anyway. "What? Don't tell me that three days wasn't enough?"

"Three days of rest? I wouldn't exactly call it relaxing… we were writing tests for most of the time." Makoto pointed out. _Not exactly the most stress-free thing to do…_

"Only because _some_ people kept failing," Rei muttered.

"Hey! That wasn't my fault!" Haruka rose to her own defence. "That woman was trying to fail me!"

"She's right." Artemis agreed in a cheerful voice.

It took the group a second to realize what he had just said. He had said it so casually and naturally that they had almost missed the statement altogether.

_She's… right?_

"I-I am?" Uranus blinked at him. "So, this entire time... you mean?"

"Yup, she purposely failed you."

_**THUD!**_

Haruka felt like a ton of bricks had fallen atop of her head.

"Now, with that out of the way, I should warn you that from here on out things will get tough." Artemis continued. "Being mentally prepared is a crucial aspect to fighting, but so is the physical aspect. Unless we build up your stamina and your spiritual control, you may never even reach Apollo. By now, it's very possible that he has amassed an army of shadow assassins... or perhaps he has created a new adversary for you to face. Whatever the case may be, as I am sure that you all are aware of, there is always the risk that any of you may perish on the battlefield. That is the reality of things. So if you want to live and continue to protect what's important to you, keep that in mind as you train! Train hard so that does not happen!"

Looking at the group, he could sense that his words were stirring nervousness in them. However, at the same time there was an equal surge of determination.

"Now, shall we get started?" Artemis led them all out into the courtyard out back. It was a clear field, exactly what many of them had come to expect for a physical session. "Before I begin I would just like to clarify something. Do all of you here know how to use Planet Power? What…? None of you have?" He was taken aback by the blank stares.

_Are they really that far behind? _

"We have." Haruka raised her hand. "Myself and Michiru have, but I don't think the others know quite yet."

"Hmm…"

"Haruka, what is he talking about?" Rei whispered to her.

The blonde turned her head and whispered back, "Do you remember back on Neptune when I…" Her voice trailed off and smacked her forehead.

_Oh great. How can I remind her that I went prancing around in a mini skirt during battle?_

"When you what?"

"…Never mind, I'll just show you," She grumbled. Haruka raised her hand up and cried,

"Uranus Planet Power, Make-Up!"

**FWOOOOOOOOSH!**

The others blinked back as the golden light faded away, leaving behind a very irritated soldier of the wind.

In a skimpy outfit.

In a mini-skirt.

"This!" Haruka pointed and growled at the others.

"Oh." _Now I remember. _Rei suppressed a snicker, promptly earning her a threatening glare.

"I see." Artemis pondered as he analyzed his student's attire. "Yes, there is no doubt about it. That is it."

"What exactly is it though?" Makoto asked. She continued to stare at Haruka with wide eyes.

"Well, how to put it?" Artemis posed thoughtfully. "I suppose to start off you should know that it's a very powerful technique that only the planet rulers can access. But since all of you meet that requirement, it shouldn't be a problem to tap into it."

He never noticed Rei turning a little pale at the information.

"Basically, for those who have never used it before, you may have noticed that your spiritual attacks are somewhat unpredictable." He raised his hand and a bolt of white lightning shot out, somewhat startling the girls. "You see? When you summon your powers, it comes out as a strong blast of raw energy. There's just no specific form to it. That's why...we're going to teach you how to use Planet Power. When you tap into it, your powers are going to condense into a concentrated, clearly defined attack. The sort of attacks you'll be able to use, however, will depend on your planet's affinity and the capacity of your spiritual power. Now, you might be wondering what I'm talking about. Since you're already tapped in Uranus, would you please demonstrate?"

Still grumbling, Haruka unleashed a world shaking across the empty field.

"World…SHAKING!"

_**Wham! WrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrRrRrRRRRR---**_

The ball of energy vanished into the air a distance away.

"See?" Artemis inquired. "Between having a lightning bolt thrown at you and that, which do you think would be harder to counter?"

"That's very interesting, but… how can one access planet power?" Ami spoke up with piqued interest.

"I think I will leave that lesson to the ones who have already figured it out. Uranus, would you mind taking over for a moment? I'm afraid that there is something that I must check up on."

"Hey, why me?! Aren't you supposed to be the one teaching us?!" She argued back at his retreating form.

"I will. Later," He waved from a distance.

Artemis plopped himself down on the outer perimeter of the training area and proceeded to watch them intently. Haruka allowed herself to glare at him a little longer, finding herself very unimpressed with this acclaimed instructor of theirs.

_Okay, so maybe I do know how to use Planet Power, but really, can that guy get any lazier?! What's so important that he has to sit there and watch us like a stalker? Hmph. He better not fall asleep._

The wind ruler reluctantly re-directed her attention to the group of expectant stares. She found it particularly odd that Michiru was giving her the same questioning expression as the others.

"Hey, you know how to do it too! You don't expect me to do this all by myself do you?!" Haruka crossed her arms. _Transform already!_

"But I am helping." Michiru said sweetly.

"What?"

"Well, someone needs to be the role model. And besides, you look adorable in a skirt!" She giggled.

Haruka gaped back at her.

"…Okay! Never mind then. So…umm… I guess we were going to have to tell you guys about Planet Power sooner or later. I guess this is a good time as any."

"Hey, didn't you say it was the reason why you disappeared from Uranus in the first place?" Rei pointed out.

"Yeah... It's just like that guy said. Planet Power a great technique for concentrating our aura. Even though it might look silly, it's insanely powerful. Do you guys remember when Setsuna showed us that vision about the war against Apollo? Believe it or not, that's exactly the power that our mentors used when they overthrew him."

_That's true, but I could've sworn that I've seen that outfit from somewhere else…_ Rei recalled. In the vision that they saw from Saturn, the day that the Moon Kingdom fell, there was one individual who donned the same outfit. Cautiously, her eyes were drawn to where Hotaru calmly stood. _Was that Planet Power as well? Could it really be a power that's so strong that it could potentially destroy an entire civilization...?_

"I see." Ami readily absorbed this information. "I did note such a thing her vision. However, I find it strange that my father never mentioned it once. Did Sir Uranus ever mention anything about it to you?"

"Nope, my mentor said shit all about it too." Uranus remarked with a shrug. "I actually heard about it from Michiru, so I wouldn't worry about it. I'm guessing that the old folks might've gotten around to mentioning it someday, but with the predicament that we're in now, we don't have the luxury to sit around and wait. So yeah, that's why I went to Neptune. So I could learn the technique from Michiru. We just got it down when you guys finally showed up," she added. "And theeen...we were attacked and you know the rest. With everything going on there was really no time to explain to all of you."

"As Artemis has already mentioned, as far as we know of, Planet Power is restricted to those who are planetary rulers." Michiru explained. "Haruka and myself have been successful in calling upon it, however, we cannot guarantee if the rest of you will be able to call upon it as well." She particular looked to Rei and Minako.

"…"

"But... I suppose that is why we are here. To get started, I would like you to form a circle around Haruka and myself. We shall try this together as a group."

She waited until everyone had ample space before moving on.

_How to call upon it…_

"Now, how can I describe it? Planet Power... comes from a bright, warm light within oneself. When I close my eyes and look deep inside, there is a glowing sphere of my aura. To be able to call upon that power, you need to understand that it is a part of you, but at the same time is it not. When we are all born, we've inherited a piece of the planet's life force. This forms a bond between one's soul and the planet's spirit, like an unbreakable thread that stays with us as long as we are alive. All living beings possess a bond of this type. However, those who were 'chosen' by the planet to be the guardians of its people are granted greater access to this light if they so wish. In essence, the technique draws upon all of these connections and the planet's very spirit itself." She paused. "Now...when you wish to call upon it, close your eyes and find that light inside of you. Will yourself to reach for it, and embrace it. You may a feel a strong tug at first, but don't try to resist it. Let it envelop you…"

When Michiru's words died away there was a peaceful expression upon her face. In a matter of seconds an aquamarine light began to radiate around her form.

She whipped one of her hands out and cried:

"Neptune Planet Power, Make-Up!"

**FWOOOOOOOOSH!**

The light erupted into the area and then faded away, leaving the woman in an identical outfit to Haruka's but in a different colour.

"So if we transform, we will look like THAT?" Makoto questioned Michiru's new appearance.

"Correct."

"Mini-skirts in battle...?" _Seriously? _Makoto shook her head. _I wonder how the men dealt with it._

"Believe it or not, this form is more useful than you think. For one, it's easier to move around in than it is in a suit of armor. And two, because it gives you a substantial boost to your spiritual powers it counters many of the disadvantages that one would expect." Michiru pointed out. "With stronger powers, you should be able to fend off a majority of attacks."

"So basically, you're saying that if you avoid getting hit, it should be fine."

"Essentially."

"And if that's not possible?"

"Revert back. It's as simple as that."

"Hey, I think we should have less chit chat and more action," Haruka interrupted. "C'mon! Let's see you guys give it a try!"

There was a moment of awkwardness as the rest of the young women fumbled to initialize the technique; there were many questions, re-explanations, and demonstrations. Until, finally, one other succeeded.

_So, I'm supposed to be looking for a sphere of light? _Ami repeated Michiru's words to herself. _I do feel something... But it's so far, deep down. Wait, what's that? I can see something! _A ray of blue light blinded her vision. She followed the warmth to its source, to a small glowing sphere within the dark well.

_Is that it? Is that…?_

She reached out for it.

"Mercury Planet Power, Make-Up!"

**FWOOOOOOOOSH!**

To Ami's amazement, after the light receded she was suddenly clothed in a new outfit similar to that of Haruka and Michiru's.

"O-Oh my…" Her face reddened as she pulled down at the front of her skirt. Although she had been expecting it, the actual accomplishment still terribly embarrassed her.

"You did it." Michiru smiled in her 'Congratulations."

"T-Thank you…"

There were other unsuccessful tries until Makoto also joined the group (although, her reaction was rather timid as well, much like Ami's).

"It's so short!" The brunette squeaked. She couldn't believe how much leg was showing!

"Deal with it!" Haruka grinned evilly. _Now if only Rei would do it too and I can…_ The thought brought her to pause. Her green eyes peered over at the frustrated Martian a distance away; the woman's back was stubbornly turned away from the rest of the group as she continually growled to herself in growing frustration.

"…Make-Up? Oh, come on!"

_I… I just can't feel anything!_ _What am I supposed to be looking for again? Some kind of light...? _Rei stared at her hand in annoyance. All thoughts of earlier this morning flew out of the window as her frustration mounted. _Why can't I do it? Even as a substitute leader, I…_

The words finally registered.

_It won't work because I'm a 'substitute'... If that's true, then it would make sense. I guess only a real planetary leader can use this power, like Ares. _Her stance suddenly straightened up and disappointment flickered in her dark eyes. All of her efforts up to now had been doomed to failure before she had even begun.

_So, that's it, isn't it? The way I am now, I can't get any stronger... _It almost felt ironic. _Then that means...the only way I'll have a chance of surviving this is..._

**FwoooooOOOOOOOoooossssh…**

"Hey buddy!" A hard hand clapped down hard on the Martian's shoulder. Haruka leaned in close by her ear and whispered, "Don't worry about it, all right? It seems like you aren't the only one." She indicated to the twins at distance away.

Another flash lit the area, and Minako had transformed.

"I'm not worried." Rei growled, and shrugged her hand off. It didn't matter if Hotaru and Usagi couldn't summon the technique. All she was interested in was Minako. It stung that the Venusian was able to do it and she couldn't.

At a distance away, Artemis observed the girls with interest—especially the twins and the Martian.

_Hmm...__ It appears that Lady Usagi and Lady Hotaru cannot utilize Planet Power quite yet? That's rather strange... and the girl from Mars as well? _He glanced at Rei arguing with Haruka. _There shouldn't be any problem for a ruler to access the technique._

At last, Artemis stood up. However, instead of approaching his charges he left to report his observations to another authority.

(Artemis, Entrance to the city)

"So, this is where you are. I thought you were supposed to be resting."

"You aren't going to watch them?"

Artemis cautiously approached her comrade. Setsuna stood motionless against the wind, her crimson eyes never leaving the vacant city. It appeared that the city only lit up during the night-time.

"Well, we seem to have a problem, Setsuna. Not all of the young women can call upon Planet Power. When you told me that they needed some training, I didn't expect them to be this far behind. Did you know about this?"

Silence…

**…**_**fwoooooOOOOOoooooshhh…**_

"Lady Usagi and Lady Hotaru… and the woman from Mars--"

"The Martian is human."

Artemis was taken aback. "She is?! But, I thought you said that they were all rulers of their respective planets. I don't mean to sound rude, but...how is it possible that a human could inherit a throne and not become a God?"

"She is the substitute ruler. The real ruler is still at large, and is now our enemy." Setsuna clarified.

"You mean...Sir Ares is...?"

"As for Lady Usagi, it is quite possible that she will require some additional time to awaken her powers. While Lady Hotaru… there is no need to worry about the child." _That one has already…_

"Wait, hold up a second. This is all kind of important information, don't you think? Why am I only hearing about it now? Did you foresee any of this? What do you know that we don't?"

"…"

"You were... always like this," he said, with disappointment evident in his voice. "You're always keeping everything to yourself. Why? Even after you joined Queen Serenity's court... At first, I thought that you were quiet because you needed some time to adjust. But after awhile, I came to realize that you preferred to be left alone. To be honest, it was a bit disappointing, but I could respect that. But now..."

"…"

"Everyone else is gone. The three of us is all that is left now! I don't know if I'm asking for too much, but...can you try to be a little more open with us? You don't have to do everything alone anymore."

_Artemis... _

"...I understand."

"Do you really mean that? I mean, we're here for you."

"Yes. And it means a lot to me, thank you."

Artemis was surprised that Setsuna admittedly something so openly, but any progress was good in his eyes.

"Then, that's good." _I was worried for a minute there._ "So, what are we going to do about the girls? There must be something we can do…"

She finally turned to face him. "The dilemma that we currently face is the strength of their spiritual powers. Although the majority of them are Goddesses, they are still young and inexperienced. Their spiritual strength is relatively undeveloped in comparison to their predecessors."

"That's true. But, as much as I hate to admit it, increasing their spiritual strength is a factor that relies heavily on time rather than effort. Even if I drilled them continuously non-stop for months, or years even, their aura capacity will not expand by very much. Unless we can miraculously come up with a way to increase their spiritual energies, we will be at a significant disadvantage in the upcoming war."

"That is true." Setsuna contemplated. "Apollo is no longer trapped within a physical body. The fact that he still lingers on this plane indicates that he is in all likelihood a mass of spiritual energy. No matter how many weapons one acquires, a metal blade will not be able to overcome him alone."

"So then, that means..."

"We will require a miracle."

The confidence in her tone prompted the man to wonder. "Do you have a plan?"

"Perhaps..."

(Artemis, Courtyard)

When Artemis returned to the field he found that the twins and Mars remained the last to make any progress. It appeared there had been no significant change in his absence. Ah well, that was about to change very soon.

"Rei, listen to me…" Uranus tried talking to her friend.

"It's not going to work Haruka, I know. You don't have to say anything."

"…"

"Is there a problem?" Artemis approached his two charges.

"Well you see…" Haruka sighed. She was about to explain it in the least humiliating way possible to their instructor, but Rei beat her to it.

"I can't do it." She said bluntly. She saw the knowing look in Artemis's blue eyes and unconsciously braced herself for the snide remarks, but to her surprise none came.

"I see. Well, you gave it your best, so... I wouldn't worry about it." He saw Rei looked stunned at the comment. "I bet you're one of those late bloomers. So, try not to be too hard on yourself. It'll come with time. In the meantime, try to concentrate on what you can do now and sharpen those skills. Regardless of what lies ahead, I'm sure you will continue to be an important part of this team."

Rei didn't know what to say. She just stood there and watched as he proceeded to call the others in.

"All right everyone, gather 'round" Artemis called out. Once everyone had assembled, he told them, "I see that most of you have awakened your powers. That's very good. For those of you who haven't, don't worry about it," He noted Usagi especially. "You will all be able to participate in this next activity regardless."

"And that would be?" Ami questioned.

"Something that Uranus has been waiting for all this time. Fighting," He remarked with a glint in his eyes. Haruka remained strangely silent at the news. "Normally, it's best to worry about the little details first and then work our way up, but because we don't know how much time we have to prepare, we have no choice but to go hard from the start."

"You mean to play by the chances." Rei quipped.

"Exactly," He nodded. "You can practice a technique as many times as you'd like, but in the battlefield your opponents will fight back. They won't stand by and let you attack them. Also, if you somehow mess up during a fight and are unprepared, you will find yourself at a severe disadvantage. That's why you will all pair off and spar against one another. The goal of this exercise is to learn how to read your opponents movements and to quickly adapt to their actions. Since you all should be approximately evenly matched in power, use anything at your disposal to get the upper hand. Obviously, I do not mean to go as far as killing your partner, but I want you to push them to their limits. None of you will improve if you slack off and go easy on one another. In fact, that little bit of mercy may cost you your friend dearly in actual combat. Do you understand?"

He paused and scanned the faces to make sure they were paying attention. It was pleasant surprise to see he had their undivided attention.

"Wait a minute." Uranus interrupted.

"Yes? Do you have a question?"

"You bet I do! Were you really the combat specialist for the Moon Kingdom?"

This prompted a muttering amongst the group.

"First you just walk off to who knows where and make someone else teach your lesson for you. And then when you finally get back, you tell us just to fight one another. What have you actually taught us? I say you should lead by example! Don't go telling us not to slack off when that's all you've been doing all this time!"

"Ah, I see. So you would like a lesson?" Artemis asked calmly.

"Why not?" Haruka's green eyes flashed back. "Unless your skills have rusted over time…"

"Wait Haruka, don't do this! He's really strong!" Usagi tried to warn her.

"Is he really? Or is that just some title he carries around for show? I came here to fight dammit! I want to get stronger! I didn't come all this way to write some lame tests, so there's no way in Hell I'm going to waste my time taking orders from a lazy slacker!" Her angry eyes trained on the Moon Princess and Usagi flinched back. "Besides... what would someone like you know about fighting? Where were you when the rest of us were sweating about whether we'll survive or not?! I don't even know why you're still here! Everything about you, your eyes, your attitude, just-- everything is screaming 'why do we have to fight?'! Look Princess, if you don't want to fight, then don't! Tch…Just the sight of you makes me sick."

Usagi gasped.

"Haruka please—! That's enough." Hotaru spoke up on her sister's behalf. However, she was unable to say more in her sibling's defence as much of what Haruka said was true. She only wished that Haruka wasn't so harsh with her words.

"Haruka, that was out of line!" Michiru scolded.

"Now, now, there's no need to worry. It seems to me that Uranus is just a little frustrated, that's all." Artemis smiled.

"What did you just say?!"

But her angry didn't bother the man in the least. Artemis flicked his wrist and a long spear materialized into his waiting palm. The fact that their instructor suddenly had a weapon in his hands startled many of his young students.

"I have no problem with accepting your challenge. However, why don't we make this a little more interesting?" He asked Haruka. As he said this, the spear began to glow with a white light.

"What do you mean?" She eyed him suspiciously.

"You said that you didn't want to listen to a slacker, so... how about a wager? If you can defeat me, you can do whatever you like. However, if I win... all of you will have to participate in my sparring activity. Does that sound fair?"

"Heh. Fine." _This will be a piece of cake._

"Also."

"Hm?"

"If anyone else wishes to join, then they may. In fact, I encourage it. You may find...that I'm more formidable than I look."

**PING!**

_**FwooooooOOOOOSH!**_

Artemis held up his spear and the energy erupted into the area. Strong winds shot up around the entire field, followed by an intense pressure. The magnitude of his spiritual force was daunting, but it didn't end there. It was steadily growing.

"Arrrgh!!" Everyone shielded their eyes from the light. The wind was actually pushing them backwards.

_Is that really Artemis? His power is enormous!_ Rei shielded her eyes from the light.

"Now this is more like it!" Haruka smirked. She then raised her hand.

"World… SHAKING!"

_**Wham! **_**Wrrrrrrr**_**rrrrrrrrrrrrrrRrRrRRRRR**_**---Whack!**

Artemis swatted the attack away with ease.

"What?! No! That's impossible!" Haruka cried out. _He swatted it away like it was nothing!_

She leapt to the side as a bolt of his power shot her way. It harmlessly hit the ground as Michiru sprinted forward to try her luck. The man watched her close the distance and entered into close hand to hand combat with the young lady. Michiru lashed out at him with carefully coordinated strikes, but Artemis evaded them all with equally deadly precision. After a few seconds of fighting with him, Michiru realized that her efforts were no more but child's play to him.

_He's evading all of my attacks as if they were nothing! Why isn't he forcing me back with his spear?_ She punched at him a few more times, all just narrowly missing. When she glimpsed the smile on Artemi's face it was then that she realized: _He's not taking me seriously!_

A break in the air to her far side alerted her of her partner's approaching presence.

"Haruka, don't get too close!" Michiru shouted over the wind. "He's stronger than you think he is!"

But Haruka had already closed the distance.

"HaaaaaaAAAAAAH!" She leapt into the melee and unleashed her own series of punches and kicks. "Let's see what you've got!"

**Whup, whup, whup, blam!**

Artemis knocked Haruka's leg upwards and swung his weapon around. The butt end of his spear jabbed into her mid-section, temporarily winding her. But before Haruka could straighten up, one of his hands were in her face; a blast of wind sent her flying back.

**BLAM!**

"Arrrrrgh!" She hit the dirt ground and rolled hard along it for over five meters, limps flailing everywhere, until she came to an abrupt stop. When she did, it felt like her brain had been rattled. There was an intense ringing her in ears.

"Haruka!" She could hear her friends shout from the sides.

"Haruka!" Michiru turned to look. However, Artemis wasn't about to let her rest. He brought down his spear, purposely giving her just enough time to evade it. The weapon crackled as it contacted the ground, and created a small crater where it touched only seconds before.

_Did you see that?_

_Such power!_

The group of women thought.

"D-Damn it...!" Haruka groaned and struggled to prop herself up onto her elbows. With one of her hands she wiped away the blood from her cut lip.

_W-When did he become this strong?! Was he always like this? I-I thought I had him... but then, out of nowhere! _She remembered glimpsing his hand before she was hit. She hadn't even seen it coming. _It was so fast--I couldn't move!_

_He's so strong._ Minako stared hard at the two combatants, and watched as Michiru continued to struggle. _And he's our ally? So, does that mean that our enemy is even stronger than this? _She tensed up and remembered her earlier promise to help win the war. She didn't realize it until now, but the fear of the war suddenly felt that much more real. She nervously looked over to Rei and saw the same look of astonishment in the Martian's dark eyes.

"Min---Minako?!" Rei shouted when the blonde suddenly charged into battle. "What are you doing?!"

She was tempted to run after her, but the rational side of her advised against it. She was painfully aware of the gun pocketed in her clothing more than ever. She narrowed her eyes in frustration.

_...Shit! _

**Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!**

"Hah, Hah, Hah!" Minako stopped a short distance from her new opponent. Without any thought, the words came to mind and her body was wrapped in golden light.

"Venus… Love-Me Chain!"

A chain made of hearts lashed out towards their new enemy. Artemis barely raised one hand and the attacked was repelled by an invisible force field.

"What?!" _No! I can't... give up!_ Minako quickly took the alternative and materialized both of Venus's chains at once. She had barley raised them when she heard Rei cry out,

"Minako, look out!"

**Crackle!**

Minako's eyes widened when a bolt of white lightning suddenly hit her square in the chest and sent the Venusian flying back like Haruka before her. "Augh!" **THUD! **She crashed to the ground and rolled. She was vaguely aware that her chains were trailing behind her and came to lie messily on the ground around her battered body.

Usagi and Hotaru both tensed as they watched Minako violently cough when she came to the stop. The whole world was spinning.

_W-What happened?_ Vaguely she could sense that their opponent's power was still growing.

"Deep…SUBMERGE!"

"World…SHAKING!"

**KABOOM!**

**Crackle—crackle!**

**KABOOM!**

**…****CRACKLE!**

She was startled when she suddenly felt another presence rush past her. It couldn't be.

"Wait, Rei...! Don't do it!" _He's too strong for you!_

Rei didn't hear the protest and went straight for her opponent's backside while Michiru and Haruka distracted him. All she could see was the bolt of lightning hitting Minako. The moment it happened, she thought her heart had stopped.

"HaaaaaAAAH!!" The Martian brandished her sword. "Take this!"

Rei threw her weight into a downward slash and hit Artemis's barrier. It flickered upon impact but it did not shatter.

**WOOOOOM!**

"Hm?" Artemis cocked his head. He never realized so many of his students would join in.

To the raven-haired woman's surprise the man simply turned his head away and ignored her.

"Geh...! Hey!" _Don't-- ignore me!_ She summoned up her aura and forced it into her blade, strengthening her attack. However, Artemis continued to invest his attention towards Haruka and Michiru. This bruised Rei's pride, re-opening many sore wounds that fed the dangerous power within her.

"Rei! Get out of there!" Haruka shouted to her. Artemis's shield was beginning to expand in a circular radius, but Rei refused to budge.

_I don't like that look in her eyes!_

"Rrrg---!!!" _I won't...let you...beat me!_ The crimson flames around her sword grew brighter.

"Rei!"

"Forget it Haruka! She's not going to listen!" Michiru cried over the explosions. _That foolish woman!_

"Deep…SUBMERGE!"

**KABLAM!**

Rei winced when a bolt of Artemis's power sliced her left cheek and drew blood. Her heart quickened at the smell and her pupil's constricted.

_**Lubb Dubb!**_

_Oh no! That feeling! If this keeps up, I'll--!! _But the winds were so strong now that she feared that they would tear her apart if she tried to run away, and there was no way she would be able to administer the medicine in this position. She was stuck.

"Hang on Rei! Sparking…Wide Pressure!"

"Shine…Aqua Illusion!"

"Venus…Love-Me Chain!"

**BOOM!**

**WoOoOoOSH!**

**Shiiiiiiiink--!**

"!"

Artemis's barrier flickered. _What? More of them have joined?_ His thoughts were interrupted when he saw peculiar dots appear in the sky above. Before he could contemplate on it, purple lightning rained on the field. The man's barrier was weakened considerably.

"Ugh--! So, even Lady Hotaru is intrigued enough to join in."

Usagi watched from the side as her twin sister entered the fray, clearly hesitating to take part herself.

_Hmm… if Lady Hotaru joins, then this will have to end sooner than I anticipated. What a shame. They were all doing rather well._

"Barrier, disperse!" Artemis cried. Briefly his shield flickered and shattered! Its power washed over the area in waves, momentarily paralyzing all movement towards him.

There was no warning before he leapt forward and struck his charges down with lightning speed.

**Whup!**- **Whup!**-**Whup!**-**Whup!**-**Whup!-Whup!**

**THUD!****!**

"OOF!"

Each woman had been knocked to the ground except for Hotaru.

With a nervous smile, Artemis pointed his spear towards his former student. "Well, isn't this unusual? Do you intend to fight me as well?" For a second his will wavered when he briefly sensed a strong surge of power in the young Lady. He knew that if she was serious, she could not only win but kill him.

But Hotaru seemed to have no intention of raising her blade against her teacher. "I think...this lesson is over. It seems clear to me who has won. Don't you agree?"

Artemis looked surprised for a moment, but he eventually yielded. With an understanding smile and dismissed his weapon.

_...Very well._

"That was very good!" Artemis praised his battered students and clapped. He heard them all groan as they picked themselves up off the ground. "Although all of you still need a lot of practice, I have to admit, for a first try I am impressed! With time, you all could be formidable opponents alone. However, I do believe that I've won our wager, Uranus. That is, unless one of you would like to have a second round!"

He laughed when he heard them all groan again.

(Training Yard)

As Artemis had requested, everyone split up into pairs. Ami and Makoto, Usagi and Hotaru, and Haruka and Michiru all paired off, leaving both Minako and Rei left behind. Rei wasn't sure whether she should consider herself lucky or cursed.

"So...I guess we're partners." Minako tried to say casually.

"I guess." Rei shrugged.

They both began to walk across the field where the last open space remained in awkward silence, but Rei was stopped briefly as she passed by Haruka. The tall woman caught her by the shoulder and dragged her back.

"Wha--!" She gave an exasperated sigh when she saw who it was. "What do you want now?"

She was surprised when Haruka placed both hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye with a serious expression.

"Hey, I don't want you getting mad at me, but... is everything okay?"

"Huh?"

"During the fight, you just suddenly stopped. When I told you to get away from him, why didn't you?" _That look in her eyes...For an instant, it looked like she was really afraid of something. _"Your condition isn't bothering you, is it? If it is maybe you should sit out and rest for a bi--"

Rei forcefully pulled out of her grip before she could finish, and shot her a glare. There it was again: That pitying look.

"Rei."

"There's nothing wrong with me! So just—back off already, okay? It's none of your business..." With that, she whirled around and marched purposely over to where Minako was patiently waiting. But she quickly found out that perhaps Haruka's observations were quite obvious.

As Rei and Minako took their respective positions across from each other, she found Minako staring at her with a peculiar expression.

_Why is she staring at me like that?_ She didn't really like it, well, she did, but it was complicated.

"Is... something wrong?" She asked tentatively.

"Well, I could be wrong but...No, it's, never mind..."

"No, what were you about to say?" She saw the Venusian hesitate again. But she patiently waited until she got an answer.

"...You just... look a little pale, that's all."

Rei felt her heart skip a beat, and the feeling in her chest clenched.

"I think it's just you," she remarked in a sharp tone. When she saw the hurt look in the blonde's face, she added, "Besides, we're supposed to be sparring, remember? You're supposed to treat me like the enemy! Are you going to stop a fight because they don't meet your expectations?"

"Well, that's—Look, if you aren't feeling well, I just thought--"

"Well you thought wrong. I was just running this morning, remember?" She huffed.

Minako heard the note of finality in her voice, but as much as she wanted to yell at the Martian for being so rude and inconsiderate she felt that there was something seriously wrong. Rei was sometimes blunt, she was never this bad. She was on the edge for some reason. Not only that, but there was something deep inside that was against this entire exercise. In truth, for some reason that she couldn't explain, she really didn't want to fight against Rei even if it was just a light match.

"Are you ready?" Rei drew her sword and bent down into an offensive position.

Minako was strangely quiet. All around them she could hear everyone else beginning their matches, and to the side she could feel Artemis looking their way. They were the only ones who hadn't started yet.

_Well, I guess we might as well get this over with. The sooner I beat her, the sooner we can just sit down and talk. But... it seems like an awful lot of work just to talk to someone. _

In the back of her mind, she wondered if Rei would even give her the chance to speak her mind after it was all over given the Martian's current mood.

Minako materialized her chains just as Rei ran forward. It was a predictable strike; she swung her sword at her, but the Venusian evaded her strikes without too much trouble. However, Rei continued to press forwards until Minako swung her chains and forced her back.

As their matched continued on, Rei noticed something that nearly made her blood boil. Minako was only jumping around and dodging. It was like she wasn't putting any effort into the fight at all.

_**Swing—**_

_**Swing---**_

_**Swing---**_

Finally, Rei smashed her blade against the ground and shot Minako and angry look. "Would you stop running away?! Why aren't you taking this seriously? I know you can do better than this!"

Minako was silent for a moment. She had originally intended to whip her partner down and end the fight quickly, but somewhere along the way she found that she just couldn't. The very thought of hitting her was making her hands tremble. Still, that didn't excuse the way that Rei was treating her.

_Wow, someone's sure grumpy today. _

"Maybe I'm just tired."

"Somehow, I doubt that."

The sarcastic comments were really starting to get on her nerves.

_So! Let me get this straight. If I fight for real and beat her, then she'll probably throw a temper tantrum and get angry. If that happens, then she probably won't want to talk to me. But...if I don't fight her and spar lightly, she'll get angry anyway. _She sighed. _Jeez, this woman! _

This time when Rei lunged forward, Minako's chain whipped back so hard that it actually shoved her back.

_There we go!_

Rei kept pushing it, and as she did she was inspiring stronger strikes from her opponent. Before she knew it, Minako had begun to throw out bolts of her power as well. The Martian responded in kind and soon they both had slipped into a rhythm.

_**Slash-slash—Crackle!**_

_**Crackle!**_

_**Shink---Ting!**_

_**Crackle!**_

They tore up the ground around them. Soon, they were going harder than any of the other pairs in the area and were drawing a few curious gazes. One of these was from the twins nearby who were nearly hit by one of Minako's stray bolts.

_**Crackle!**_

"Yipe!" Usagi jumped when something loud blasted the ground beside her. She hadn't been watching for that at all.

"Usagi, are you all right?" Hotaru asked.

"W-Well...I think so. But, what was that?"

The other pair to the other side of the battling pair was also not unaffected. Rei and Minako were moving so quickly that their movements were spreading out across the entire side of the field. When Rei threw another string of blasts in Minako's direction, the Venusian leapt back directly into Ami and Makoto's fighting area. Their friends shouted in surprise when the blonde landed between them and dragged a range of fire along their way. This drew a frown from Artemis.

As the fight continued, Minako's concentration was beginning to become side-tracked once again.

_That's strange... why does this feel so familiar?_ She whipped her chains in Rei's direction and watched her evade them in slow motion. For a brief second, she thought she saw the scene replaying itself, but in it her opponent was torn up and bloody. She gasped; it startled her so much that her next attack was far off target.

_**Shink—**_

Silently, Rei watched the chain fly into the air at nothing. She didn't give the peculiar behaviour a second thought though. Without thinking she did something that she normally wouldn't have done. She extended her hand, wrapping it around the links despite the energy burning her flesh, and yanked forward with an inhuman strength. Minako yelped in surprise when she was brought down onto her hands and knees, but she was forced to quickly counter when the Martian threw her sword at her.

_**Slash!**_

"Agh!" Minako felt the blade dig across her right arm and stumbled back in shock. She couldn't believe that she had been hit. But more importantly...

_What—what's going on? If I hadn't moved, then she would have..._ In her mind, there was no doubt that it was a move aimed to kill.

She brought her blue eyes up and looked the Martian in the eye. A very strange look had entered Rei's dark eyes. They almost looked cold and hollow somehow.

"Rei...?" She whispered.

Her opponent charged forward again, and Minako stumbled back in a rush to fend her off. As the seconds dragged on, she felt everything spiralling out of control. Every attack she threw, Rei was taking it head on. She was allowing herself to get hurt.

_**Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!**_

"S-Stop it!" Her frantic shouts drew everyone's attention.

"Minako?" Haruka turned her head just as Artemis narrowed his eyes at the sight.

_**Crackle!**_

Minako threw another bolt of power and this time it hit the woman in the leg. Rei tripped and hit her head against the ground fairly hard. Suddenly, the pain in her leg registered.

_O-Ow! _She grabbed at her foot instinctively and bit down on her bottom lip. _W-What...?!_

Minako felt her heart pounding in her chest as she saw Rei slowly lift her head and looked at her. Seeing Rei the way she was now, it was all coming back to her: The mission part of her memory. The images flashed in her mind one after another, as if they were articulating the brutality of an enraged Goddess.

_Goddess...!_ _Is that what happened? _She remembered when Rei hit her with something in her neck. Was that why Rei refused to tell her what happened after they had left Venus?

Rei stared back and saw the horror in Minako's face. The pain that she was in, it dawned on her. The blood drained from her face, and suddenly it was difficult to breathe. The memory of her nightmare came back full force, but at the moment she didn't want to see Minako look at her like that.

"Mina...ko." Rei staggered up to her feet. "I--" She winced when the blood from the Venusian's arm stirred up her instincts again. For a brief moment, the gold light in her eyes flickered.

"N-No...stay back."

"Minako."

Unknown to Rei, one of the chains twitched at the side.

"Don't come any closer!"

"But--"

"I said...DON'T!"

In that instant, the chain leapt to action. Rei had barely turned her head when she realized that she was being attacked. Both combatants were shocked when Usagi suddenly leapt in the way.

"Usagi!"

"Don't do it!"

Minako saw the Princess and in that instant her concentration broke. The chain diverted to the far side, swinging widely and missing the pair altogether.

_**Swiss—Kablam!!!**_

"Please stop fighting!" Usagi said again. "She can't fight back!"

Realizing what was happening, Rei's eyes widened. "Usagi." She shouted to her.

"Because..."

"Usagi!"

"...She's sick!"

Minako thought her heart was about to stop when she heard those words. "Sick?" She repeated. It felt like an eternity when the word finally sunk in. She saw the Martian turn her head away when she looked at her. "What do you mean...sick? You said you were fine."

"...It's not like that."

Minako was strangely silent for a moment."...I think that's enough for today. C'mon, we'll get someone to look at you," She stepped forward and extended her hand, but there was a loud smack when Rei slapped it away. Minako was in shock.

"...Just...leave me alone." She mumbled.

"But--!"

"Just go away!"

"Rei!" Haruka ran up just as the Martian stormed off. Usagi considered running after her, but Haruka caught her. "Wait. It's not a good idea for you to go after her. I'll go."

After she ran off, Minako just stood there looking stunned. She was just so angry and confused.

"Well fine!" She shouted and then ran off in the opposite direction.

"Uhh..." Artemis looked left and right, but now they were short two people. "I guess that'll be it for today everyone. Please consider the rest of your day free time. You are dismissed."

(Rei, Palace Gardens)

The sun was setting outside when Haruka finally approached her friend. She found Rei hidden on the other side of the palace, tucked into the corner of a hill that begun to slump down towards the city. She didn't even turn to look when she walked right up to her.

"Mind if I sit down?" When the Martian said nothing, Haruka just took a seat beside her. For a moment, they both stared out at the city, watching it being bathed under the pink and yellow light. "You know, I guess we both came out as losers today," Haruka finally said. She leaned back on the grass and stared up at the sky. "I mean, I got beaten up by that guy in front of everybody...It was pretty embarrassing."

She turned and looked at Rei, but she could see that she was still sulking.

"Hey...I'm... really sorry about earlier." This time she got a reaction.

"Sorry? What do you have to be sorry for?"

"Well, I guess for everything. Lately, it feels like you've been withdrawing from everyone...and I can't help but feel like some of it is my fault. When I teased you earlier, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I'm sorry..."

She heard Rei sigh. "It's not your fault..."

"Hm?"

"It's just...There's a lot on my mind at the moment. I didn't mean to snap at you either."

"Hey, it's not a problem. Don't worry about it. In fact, I think I get like that sometimes too. Now that we aren't constantly fighting for our lives, I've been thinking... Like, how will this war will turn out...How many might die for this cause, because, so many have already died fighting and there's no way we can take on a huge army by ourselves. It's almost overwhelming when I think about it."

_Haruka..._

"Do you remember when you told me on Neptune that the old man died? Even though I already knew that, I didn't really grieve, you know? But now...It's all kind of sinking in. I think I almost miss him..."

"Really?"

Haruka chuckled. "Yeah, I think it's strange too...but, I guess what they say is true. You never realize what's important to you until it's gone."

Rei looked away. "To be honest... I never really thought about any of that. Wow, I'm selfish..."

"What do you mean?"

"Because these last few days, while you were worrying about everyone else, I've been worried about myself."

"I don't believe that."

"No, really--"

"No." Haruka said firmly. "Rei, you're really a good person...but I think, sometimes you're too dishonest with yourself. Just because you worry about yourself once n' awhile, it doesn't make you selfish. You're a person like the rest of us."

"Haruka..."

"But, you're also one of the closest friends that I have. So, if there's something bothering you, then I'd really like to help, even if it's just by listening... But if you don't want to tell me, I'll respect that. I just want you to know that, no matter what happens, if you ever need someone to talk to... I'll always be here for you, okay?"

"Thanks. That means a lot..." She looked at the determination in Haruka's eyes and almost smiled at that. "Pfft, you really want to know, don't you?"

"Well, maybe a little..." Haruka admitted bashfully. She was surprised though because Rei actually smiled.

"Well, how can I say it?" Rei finally confessed. "It seems so complicated, but then again...maybe it's only complicated to me. I was just thinking, that you may be right. Lately, all I've been doing is running away. I don't know why, but ever since you guys arrived, Minako has been avoiding me. At first, I thought I was just imagining it... but then I realized that she was really angry at me."

"Do you know why?"

"Well... at first, I wasn't sure. But now, I think it's because I've been avoiding her too."

Haruka nearly slapped her head. "Huh? Come again...?"

"I've been having this dream lately, Haruka. Every time, I lose control of myself...and then, I end up hurting someone."

"It wasn't Minako was it?!" She saw the look in Rei's eyes and realized that it was. "And what happened in the training yard today..."

"Mm...I took the medication this morning like I always did, but for some reason it just acted up again. Before I knew it, I woke up on the ground all confused, and Minako...the way that she was looking at me. You should have seen it."

"Rei..." She was surprised when Haruka nudged her shoulder. "Well, that's an easy enough problem to fix. Just take the doses more frequently."

"But--"

"That's how Ami designed it. If you think you need it then you should've just taken it."

"But Minako would have seen it." She said in a flat voice.

The statement startled Haruka. "You mean, you haven't told her yet?" Rei shook her head. "But why not? I thought you guys were really close."

"Because...!"

"Hey, I know it's a big deal to you, but... I don't think she'd think any less of you if you told her."

"You don't know that."

"That's true." She saw Rei look up. "But, the way I see it, she's probably has her share of suspicions after what happened today. If you don't try to talk to her, then it could get worse. Besides, it's always hard to find these kinds of things out by accident...especially, when it concerns a friend." Haruka remember how she felt when she confronted Rei about it on Neptune. It hurt that she hadn't been told about something that important, that her friend had to struggle with it by herself for who knew how long. "Why were you avoiding her anyway?"

She blinked when she saw that Rei was blushing.

"W-Well... If I tell you, then you have to promise that you won't tell anyone."

"Oh, okay... I promise. So, what is it?"

"...Well, I think...I think that I... l-like her." She squeaked out.

Haruka stared at her wide-eyed. _You mean... you just realized that?!_ She noticed that Rei was beginning to go into a ramble now.

"I-It's just really complicated! I like being around her, but when she's away I'm always worrying! It's like I was losing sleep over it! But then when she came back and started avoiding me--I didn't know what to do..." Her friend couldn't help but feel sympathetic towards that look. The Martian looked like a hurt puppy. "Then I had that dream, and I thought that if she stayed around me, I might accidentally hurt her...like today..."

_Just like Setsuna said. She said the medication wouldn't be enough._

"So, you were worried that you might hurt her." Haruka pondered. "But, she's a lot stronger now, you know? I think, today, you just caught her off guard. I mean, she wasn't even aware of your condition, so you couldn't really blame her for being scared. Don't you think it's more dangerous that you didn't tell her about it?"

Rei felt her heart skip a beat. She had never thought of it like that before.

_She was trying to talk to me this morning, but I ran away. I thought that I was running away for her sake but maybe...it was for mine. _

_I like her. But she..._

"Hey, Haruka...? Do you... think she'd ever talk to me again? It feels like I really messed things up this time."

"Yeah, I don't see why not. But first! I think it would be a really good conversation starter if you told her how you felt about her."

"W-What?! But—I can't do that!"

"Why not?"

Rei couldn't stand that pointed expression the other woman was giving her. She knew Haruka was comfortable with herself, but she wasn't Haruka.

"W-Well...what if she doesn't like me back?"

Haruka could have sworn a mountain of bricks just fell on her. She was so close to slapping Rei upside the head.

_You really are a piece of work, Rei!_

"A-And why would you say that?" She brought herself to ask out of curiosity's sake.

"...Because...she's a naturally affectionate person. She's nice to everyone... and she just lost her entire family not too long ago." _She's a Goddess now..._ "Besides, there's also that Venusian custom."

"What custom?"

Rei pointed to her lips. "The one where you kiss your friends."

"...On the lips?"

She nodded.

Haruka just stared at her like she was crazy. _I don't know any Venusian custom like that! _

"Did she tell you this? She didn't k-k-kiss you did she?" She saw Rei turn away and blush like she were an embarrassed school-girl.

_AND YOU BELIEVED HER?!?! _

"Look. Do me," _and everyone else, _"a favour and just do it."

"Huh?"

"After today, you're going to tell her how you feel, got it?!" Rei flinched back, and then coughed when Haruka suddenly slapped her across the back. "Ahhh...you know, I'm feeling pretty good!" She remarked as she stood up and stretched.

"Really...?" Rei eyed her suspiciously with teary eyes.

"Mhmm...I mean, don't you also feel better to get all of that off your chest?"

Rei had to blink at that. _Now that I think about it..._ Her heart did feel lighter.

"Umm, yeah...I guess..."

Haruka laughed. "You know, we still got some daylight left. You wanna train a bit more? I promise I'll try to go easy on you," she winked.

Rei jumped up and gave her a great big shove. "Pfft! You're so full of yourself!"

"Haha! That's more like it! C'mon! I'll race you to the practice area!!"

As they ran around the palace, Rei couldn't help but feel more hopeful about the future.

_Maybe, she's right. _

_...Maybe...I should just tell her how I feel._

**

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**Next up in HFD, Ch 28: Moon Kingdom: Third Night**

**For someone who was supposed to be resting, Setsuna seems pretty busy. While Artemis may have faith in the former advisor, someone else is about to confront her about this 'miracle'. What is she planning?**

"_**Would you put their lives at stake to satisfy your own ambitions? Or have you forgotten your duty and are now acting as his personal spy?"**_


	28. Moon Kingdom: Third Night

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Sailor Moon**

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(Nightfall, Setsuna, Entrance to the City)

Setsuna stood in front of the entrance of the city, still remaining motionless in silent thought as she observed the glowing city before her. Since the night fell, the city began to emit the white light again like the previous nights after its miraculous restoration. However, there was a dark and serious expression on the former advisor's face.

Behind her she heard footsteps. She didn't need to look to know who the presence belonged to.

"Luna. What do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" She calmly remarked. Behind her, the vice advisor stepped out of the shadows.

"Artemis informed me of the situation today. I heard that we need a 'miracle' if we expect to stand a chance in the upcoming war. Is this true?" She studied her companion, but Setsuna maintained her silence.

Even after all of these centuries, she still looked detached as ever. It angered her.

"Would you put their lives at stake to satisfy your own ambitions?" She growled. "Or have you forgotten your duty and are now acting as his personal spy?"

The air around the women grew tense. However, Setsuna did not try and refute her comrade's accusations. She continued to remain motionless, leaving her back open to the vice advisor.

"Her Majesty Queen Serenity had always favoured you. She trusted you with all her heart, even with the knowledge that you abandoned her brother. While I concede that Apollo was a poor leader, I've always found it suspicious how you suddenly switched sides. It appeared that you had no such inclination before. What made you change your mind? Also, when Lady Hotaru mysteriously went missing... wasn't she supposed to be under your watch, Setsuna?"

_**Lubb Dubb.**_

"In the Kingdom, it was rumoured that you had an unusually strong gift when it came to premonitions and spiritual searches. If that was true, then why didn't you locate Lady Hotaru's presence after she went missing? Why, didn't you foresee our Kingdom's destruction...?" Her voice was beginning to crack with emotion. "Or...Did you see it, and just decide not to tell us?!"

_Setsuna!_

_**DOOM**_

Crimson eyes dimmed. _Is it my fault?_

"…Perhaps… it was my fault." She whispered. "If I had been stronger, then perhaps things would have been clearer."

"What do you mean?"

"I am only able to predict possibilities of the future. However, when it came to the Moon Kingdom, its future was always clouded. I could not clearly discern its destruction much less the cause of it. It was the same for Lady Hotaru. However, you were...absolutely correct. The young Lady was placed under my watch, and I've failed Her Majesty. I failed all of you, and for that, you have my sincerest apologies."

Luna watched the woman finally turn around, and saw raw emotion in her red eyes. "Do you truly believe... that I feel no regret or remorse for what has happened?"

This time, Luna did not answer her.

"I have no intention of sacrificing their lives. They will be given a fighting chance."

Her comrade was almost convinced by the promising tone, but at the same time it made her feel uneasy.

"How...?" Luna finally asked.

"As you already know, one's spiritual capacity... particularly that of a God or Goddess, naturally increases over time as the individual ages. The source of our spiritual power stems from the accumulation of experience. However, as I have already mentioned to Artemis, the time factor is against us in this fight. Thus, we will require another means of increasing their spiritual capacity."

"But without time..." She gasped. "You intend to force their limits back!" Suddenly, it made sense. "That's an extremely dangerous plan Setsuna. Not only would you need to amass a large amount of spiritual energy, but the shock to their systems may be enough to kill them!"

"There is no other way." Setsuna brought her garnet staff down, and startled her comrade. "If we send them into battle the way they are now, even with Planet Power, they will inevitably fall. All of them and their people...will perish." There was a dark look in her eyes as she said this, and it frightened the other woman.

"But—still! How do you intend to amass the spiritual power necessary to perform the process?"

Setsuna was silent. Luna's eyes then trailed up to the lit up city behind the woman, and she felt her heart skip a beat.

_It can't be..._

"But that's..."

"If anyone should be the one to dirty their hands, then it should be me. I will shoulder the responsibility."

"Setsuna..."

In a quiet voice she asked, "If it's not too much to ask, would you please awaken the young ones and gather them here?"

"Right now?!"

"Yes. After some careful investigation, I have concluded that our time frame for this operation is possibly only during the night. During the day, these energies become dormant and are inaccessible. I would like to get this over with as soon as possible, if that is all right with you."

"...All right. I will go and summon them now. You understand that they might be cranky though, so don't go blaming me when they yell at you," Luna said as turned to leave. As she walked away from the area, she whispered under her breath,

"I just hope that you know what you're doing..."

(Entrance to the City)

Sometime later, all of the young women had been gathered at the City's gate where Setsuna had been patiently waiting. The former advisor calmly watched as the sleepy and confused expressions gave way to nervousness. Although they were standing outside of the city, at its limits, the influence of the spiritual force that resided within it was still very strong. It was very evident in that all of the young women had turned a deathly pale.

_What is this feeling?_ Minako tried to hug herself for warmth, but the chill persisted. _It feels like, something is trying to pull me inside. _

Everyone else felt the pull as well, Rei—in particular. Even Luna and Artemis appeared to be somewhat guarded.

"I don't like the feeling I'm getting from this place. Why are we here anyway?" Haruka crankily muttered. She had almost gotten to sleep when Luna came and woke her. "What do you make of it Michiru?"

"..."

"Michiru...?"

When the Goddess finally spoke, her voice was heavy with emotion. There was a distant look in her eyes.

"I sense... multiple energies residing within this place. But their signatures are faint and weak. They are only remnants of what they once were."

"Huh?! Y-You mean there are ghosts in there?!" Beside Haruka, Hotaru looked uneasy.

"Yes, I suspect so. Unlike a person's spiritual trail, these ones do not fade with time. During the daytime they remain dormant. But as soon as night falls it appears that they take upon the form of glowing lights, such as what we are seeing now. For some reason they appear to be particularly restless tonight. It's as though… something has disturbed them."

"Yeesh." Just thinking about it was giving Haruka the creeps. "Well, as long as they stay in there then I don't care." _Really, I just want to get some sleep._ _Is that too much to ask? _"Hey, Setsuna! So it looks like you're finally done resting, huh? Anyway, why did you drag us out here in the middle of the night? If we were going to have another meeting or something, couldn't it have waited until the morning?"

Setsuna shook her head. "By morning, it would have been too late."

"Huh?"

"I had summoned you all here for the purpose of conducting your final task."

It took a few seconds before the words registered to the tired blonde. Haruka scratched her head in confusion.

"Final task...?" She didn't like the sound of that. Anything that didn't involve 'back to bed' was terrible in her opinion. "What do you mean by that? Please tell me you seriously didn't wake us up in the middle of the night just to conduct another training exercise!"

"I did."

The woman's bluntness was beginning to annoy her. Haruka could feel a headache coming on, and this damn cold wasn't helping in the least.

"And it can't wait until morning because...?"

"Because the conditions required for this exercise can only be met during the night." She said simply.

"Oh. N-No! I mean, why are we out here exactly?! Like, okay, I get that you want us to do something out here, but what? Is this supposed to be another lesson or something? Because I thought we already learned everything that we needed to know. Weren't we supposed to keeping practicing against each other until we were ready?"

"If we did that, then you would never be ready in time." The remark seemed to throw her for a loop. "After observing your progress over this past week, it has become apparent that you are all severely lacking in spiritual power. This is a critical inhibition that must be corrected as quickly as possible."

Haruka twitched. "Grr...Funny how that's coming from someone who's been in bed all week," she retorted. "Look! We've been working our butts off to get stronger! We've been doing everything that you've told us to do! If that isn't good enough, then why don't _you _do something about it?!"

"I will concede that you are all stronger now than when you had first arrived. However, it is still not enough. Before you interrupt me again, please allow me to put it into perspective. Today, despite your additional growth due to Planet Power, your team was unable to defeat Artemis in a training exercise. Keeping this in mind, the enemy that you will face is stronger than Luna, Artemis _and_ myself combined. It took all of your predecessors to defeat him the last time. Do you believe that, as a group, you currently rival their strength? If you were to engage in combat with the enemy at this instant, do you truly believe that you can win?"

"W-Well..."

"This is something that all of you need to understand. This has nothing to do with spite, but rather the reality of things. The outcome of this battle falls squarely upon your shoulders. Out of every individual on your planets, you are the only ones that can be considered a threat to Apollo. If you should fail, then countless of lives will be lost." She met Haruka's eyes. "I understand that you may be tired, but the enemy will not wait and allow you to rest. It is times like these that we must remain diligent, and strive forward the hardest."

There was a pained look on the blonde's face, but she didn't protest.

"So basically...What you're saying is that we need to increase our spiritual powers." Rei stepped forward. "How do you propose that we do that? Correct me if I'm wrong but somehow I have a feeling that it involves this place."

Setsuna returned the knowing gaze with a nod. "Correct." This drew looks of disbelief from the others. "There are several of ways to increase one's spiritual capacity. One of them, if you recall what I said to Uranus, can be developed through years of training. The second... arises only when a human ascends to a God or Goddess rank. However, given the circumstances, none of these options are available to us. Therefore there is only one option remaining."

"And that would be?"

"Theoretically, the limits of one's spiritual capacity expand as the individual acquires more spiritual energy. If you absorb a vast amount of energy at once, then it may be possible to significantly expand your limits."

"I see." Ami wondered aloud. "So, to become stronger, we need to break our current limits and create new ones. Like you said, it theoretically makes sense. But considering the improvement that you expect of us, and factoring in the amount energy it would take for each of us to surpass our current limits...we would need..."

"An entire city's worth." Michiru finished.

The glowing structures behind Setsuna's back suddenly drew everyone's attention. It couldn't be, could it?

"That is precisely it. What I propose... is that you absorb the energy contained within this city and use it to expand your limits."

**DOOM!**

"A-Are you serious...?! But how can you expect us to do something like that?!" Makato stammered in disbelief. "Michiru just said that those lights, or energies, or whatever are, are actually people! We can't just absorb them... even if it's to increase our powers!"

The last words were followed by a deadly silence and Setsuna felt the intense stares from both sides. After a few seconds, she shook her head and pointed to the city.

"Look there. The majority of the energy that you see before you is 'free energy', or alternatively known as the 'energy of life'. It exists everywhere--within the plants, air and the very ground that we walk upon. As the term implies, it is free energy because it is unattached to a particular being. However, according to a law of energy... that energy cannot be created nor destroyed, but transformed from one form to another... through this, the soul may be born. The soul is a special aggregate of this free energy, a variation if you will. Imagine this comparison in colors. Free energy is white and the soul is green. Both are colors, but they are not the same." She paused. This was the conclusion everyone had been waiting for. "What I am asking of you is not to assimilate another soul into yours, but this free energy."

The tension in the atmosphere eased greatly. Setsuna could have sworn that she heard a few sighs of relief as well.

"Hmmm… well, when you put it that way, I guess it's okay?" Makoto said. "But to be honest, I still don't want to go in there. Is there any way we can do whatever you want us to do out here?"

"Given the time it will take for you to accomplish the session, I think it would be unwise to alter the conditions now. We would like for you to finish as soon as possible."

"Oh..."

"If there are no more questions, I will explain the task to you." She waited, but no one spoke up. "...Very well. This training session will be split up into two tasks. In various areas of the city, I have placed eight spheres of my energy. For clarification, this means one sphere per person. Your first task is this: Locate one of the spheres and activate it. Each of these spheres has been modified so that they will attract the free energy in the surrounding area upon activation. Once the energy has been gathered, take it inside of yourself. That will mark the end of the first task. Are there any questions so far?"

"Wait. I have a question." Haruka interrupted. "You said that you placed them in various parts of the city, right? Then wouldn't it take forever for all of us to find them all?"

"Whether you choose to move as a group or individually, it is up to you. However, the sooner you complete the tasks, the sooner you will be able to leave. That is all the advice I can offer."

_Hmph. So she wants us to split up..._ Haruka thought. It wasn't so much as advice as it was implied.

"Moving on. Your second task involves locating a specific target within the city. After you have absorbed the energy from your area, search for my signature within yourselves and 'paint' it with a strand of your own aura onto your weapon. For those of you, who primarily use spiritual energy as your weapon of choice paint it onto your arm. That is when your target will be revealed to you. This is especially important. Whatever your target may be… you are to search it out and strike it with your weapon. The mark painted onto your weapon will appear on your target once you have struck it. That... is how we will know if you have successfully completed the second task."

"What if we don't finish?" Rei dared to ask.

"You will not be able to leave the city until you have."

"I see."

"That is all. You may begin whenever you feel ready."

"Right now...?" Usagi squeaked. Personally, she found the floating lights intimidating. It also appeared that no one else was eager to make the first move.

**Tup. Tup. Tup.**

"H-Hotaru...?"

The dark-haired heir stepped forward and stopped just before the doorway where the light reached. Her heart was pounding in her chest; although she was determined to do this, there were many uncertainties that threatened to hold her back. The young woman wasn't the only one who was concerned for her well-being. She could feel the gazes of her friends on her back as well: Wouldn't this be the first time Hotaru would set foot into the city since her reappearance?

It was then that she heard Setsuna say, "Do not do things half-heartedly."

Hotaru gulped, and forced herself to take that first step. The moment her body touched the light, there was a flash of warmth that shot through her. It was as if she had crossed an invisible boundary into an alternative dimension.

Breathing a little heavily, her mind slowly came to grip that she was still in one piece.

_I...I have to do this. _She told herself. _For everyone's sake!_

"Hotaru!"

Hotaru had broken out into a full-out sprint towards Setsuna's nearest signature.

_So, if we complete this training session...will I be strong enough to take him on?_ Haruka glanced back towards Artemis. Her previous defeat, and the humiliation the accompanied it, still burned fiercely in her memory.

_Heh. Well, what do I have to lose?!_

Uranus entered the city.

The others followed shortly after, each departing in pairs until Minako and Rei were left. Minako was awkwardly trying to avoid eye contract, but Rei was looking straight at her.

"Minako." She saw the Venusian automatically glace over at the call of her name, but she still refused to meet her eye. "After this is all over, let's have that talk that you wanted, okay?"

Minako's head shot up just as Rei ran into the city. For a few seconds, she stood there with a stunned expression on her face. Did she really hear what she thought she heard? When she realized that she was the only one left, she also ran into the city and disappeared into the streets.

"Is it...really okay to let them go?" Artemis asked once they had all left.

"I don't know." Luna honestly replied. "But, this is the best chance that we can give them. I can only hope that they all return safe and sound."

They were both surprised when Setsuna stepped in front of the entranceway and began to concentrate her remaining energy into the palm of her hands. Within a blink of an eye, the sphere shot outwards and enclosed the entire city within a massive dome shaped barrier.

**Krreeee, kreeee, krreee…**

"Woah!"

When the spell was complete, the woman slumped to her knees.

"Setsuna!" Artemis and Luna ran to her side and attempted to steady her by the shoulders.

"W-What do you think you're doing?" Artemis asked. "If you had wanted to put up a barrier, I could have done it!"

The former advisor gently shook her head.

"No… it was required that I do it. This will make it mandatory that they complete the second task if they should want to leave."

"But why is the second task so important?" Luna inquired. "From the sounds of it, you're putting more emphasis on the second task than the first."

"…"

"What have you done?"

**

* * *

**

**Next up in HFD, Ch. 29: Moon Kingdom: City of Lights**

**After watching the glowing city from afar after many nights in a row, the young women are about to witness the phenomenon up close...far more than a few of them would have liked. Luna was right to worry; Setsuna is playing a dangerous game, and the lives that are about to be altered in the process have nothing to do with her own. How will their charges adapt to their training session and why is the second task so special?  
**


	29. Moon Kingdom: City of Lights

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Sailor Moon**

**A/N:**** The chapter focuses on certain individuals more than others.**

**

* * *

**

(Hotaru, Area One)

Hotaru sprinted down the streets with only the sound of her pounding heart for company. She had been running for some time now, but despite her body's protests for rest she didn't dare to stop; perhaps it was a clever trick of her imagination, born from centuries of nightmares, but the woman swore that she glimpsed shadows out from the corner of her eyes. Ghostly images hovering near the sharp corner of a nearby alleyway, transparent faces perched on the balconies above. While along the ground, amongst the lights, her past was closing in from behind her. Hotaru's breathing was heavy and she had already broken out into a sweat. The images were flashing before her eyes in a steady rhythm, re-surfacing suddenly and then were punctuated by pockets of darkness. Each step she took they gained substance, steadily becoming more real than her current reality.

"…Hah! Hah! Hah! Hah!…"

**Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!**

**Flash!**

The scenery before her flickered between a distorted black and white. She shook her head.

**Flash!**

The sound of trickling water reached her ears--a spill of crimson blood splattered onto the street.

**Flash!**

A body.

**Flash!**

A mountain of corpses!

Hotaru gasped, nearly stumbling, and frantically shook her head in a desperate attempt to clear away the haunting images. As she struggled, the lights seemed to be closing all around her.

Instead of being the hunter hunting the 'prey' in the unknown territory, their roles had reversed. The woman shuddered as the sensation of being watched loomed over her like a dense, suffocating cloud. Her throat suddenly felt tight—it hurt to breathe. The temperature was dropping all around her. At times, she could have sworn that there were ghostly fingertips clawing at her back. They tried to rake deep, embedding an icy touch that seemed to seep throughout her skin despite the layers of clothing that she wore.

_Run!_ Her body screamed to her. _Run faster!_

The day's earlier bravado was drowned within the sea of lights.

Hotaru lunged hard to the right, sharply rushing past another corner and ran into another street marked by numerous T-intersections.

_**Ping!**_

Setsuna's signature had become stronger. She was closing in on her destination.

**Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!**

"…_Run from everything…?"_

A long, silver-haired woman smiled.

……………… "_No...We cannot. Or rather, we should not run from that which scares us."_

Hotaru remembered herself as a child, walking down these very streets during another time. It had been lively and very crowded back then.

"_That heir?"_

"_It was a mistake to have that one come first. The one to inherit the throne next…"_

"_I agree!"_

"_Shh! She may hear you!"_

…_The next ruler, the oldest heir in line to the throne was…_

She remembered being in the garden, with the one other person she had cherished the most.

"_Hotaru-dear, is something the matter?"_

"_They don't want me," the girl sobbed. "What am I… doing wrong?!"_

"…"

"_Maybe you shouldn't have had me! What was the point?! If you only had Usagi—if she was the only one to inherit the throne--"_

As Hotaru neared the point source, Setsuna's signature resonated with her own aura with greater intensity. Each strong pulse brought warmth back to her numbing body. Little by little, it helped to ease the internal turbulence in exchange for another anxiety.

**Slap!**

_Setsuna…_

(Sometime earlier)

**. . . **

_That morning Usagi and Hotaru were standing beside one another in Setsuna's room, both relatively in good spirits. Usagi had just returned from speaking with the Martian heir, and Hotaru had slept well for the first night in centuries (even a visit with Setsuna couldn't seem to dampen her mood). As they were both eagerly waiting to hear the reason why their guardian had summoned them at this hour, the seriousness of the situation was broken when two pairs of feet stomped past the door in the outer corridor and was followed by someone screaming 'we are going TO TALK!'._

"_I see someone is awake." Hotaru commented casually. She already had a pretty good idea of the identities of the culprits based on a certain conversation earlier._

"_Hmm...They are energetic, aren't they?" Usagi giggled despite herself. _

_On the other hand, Setsuna was left unimpressed. She massaged her temples and let out a soft sigh; although Luna had informed the young women that their stoic guardian had been resting, in truth Setsuna had barely slept a wink within these past few days. To hear such a racket immediately after a string of all nighters was giving the poor woman a terrible migraine._

_Only until the noises died away did the heirs return their full attention to their guardian._

"_So, you wished to see us?" Usagi politely addressed their elder._

"_Yes. I thank you both for obliging to my request. I understand that you both should be resting, as you will begin the next stage of your training soon... but there is a matter of grave importance that I must discuss with the two of you in private."_

"_What do you mean?" Hotaru felt shivers run down her spine when those mysterious eyes found hers. She had almost expected to see hate in them._

"_As the two of you are well aware of, the former ruler, your mother... is deceased." Setsuna saw Hotaru visibly tense. "Therefore, as you two are her only heirs... one of you are to succeed her and become the new ruler."_

_The reactions were mixed. Usagi's jaw dropped and Hotaru fell deadly silent. None of them had been expecting this revelation._

"_I will not make this choice for you." Setsuna continued on. "Often such decisions made by a party who is not directly involved have many a time become the basis of a heated debate and conflict later on. Therefore, Lady Usagi, Lady Hotaru... you will decide amongst yourselves who will become the next Queen."_

"…_Why now?" Hotaru whispered with her fists shaking by her sides. She and Usagi had only made up the past night. "Why are you telling us this?"_

_Setsuna had already made her way towards the door. "I will leave it to the two of you."_

**. . . **

_What is she thinking? The Kingdom has already fallen and its people with it! Even if one of us becomes the new Queen then who will she rule? Our way of life is already dead!_

_And… _

_...Why did she make it sound like there was a choice in the matter? Between Usagi and myself, the only one who is entitled to be the next ruler is…_

Hotaru clenched her jaw. At that same instant she leapt up a set of cement steps and threw open a door at its end. The signal had led her to this building, to this small, dark room. Inside on a table, positioned in the room's center, was the glowing, purple sphere that Setsuna had promised.

"I've…found it."

(Usagi, Makoto and Ami)

At approximately the same time throughout the city, all three of the women had also successfully found their spheres.

(Rei, Area Five)

Rei tried to make a sharp, corner turn and grunted when she nearly slipped. The conditions of their training exercise were proving to be more of a nuisance than she had anticipated: The streets were slippery, the atmosphere was frigid—there were eerily lights everywhere and every path appeared nearly identical to her. The streets in her district stretched endlessly in all directions, passing through numerous T-intersections that continued on without a definable 'end'. When she thought about it, the lay-out was very similar to a palace; it was an intricate labyrinth.

_What's with this place? The air feels so strange here. _She could see her breath as the temperature dropped the further she ventured into the city. _It's cold and heavy... and where is this fog coming from? _

In the back of her mind this was worse than any battlefield. The strong sensation of being watched was beginning to affect her concentration. If she didn't locate Setsuna's sphere soon, she feared that something unpleasant would happen.

_This is a graveyard, isn't it? _The thought echoed in her mind.

_Mina. _

The Venusian had been unusually quiet when they all had met up that night. There was something different about her that left a shadow of doubt in Rei's mind.

_If it weren't for this lesson, I could have talked to her! _But in the back of her mind, a part of her wondered, 'Would she have listened?' _She didn't look like she was angry, but... then, why was she so quiet? Is she upset about what happened today?_

"_Hey, I know it's a big deal to you, but... I don't think she'd think any less of you if you told her."_

"_You don't know that."_

**Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!**

"_That's true."_

**Tup! Tup! **

She rounded another corner and fled down the streets. The signal was becoming stronger.

"_But, the way I see it, she's probably has her share of suspicions after what happened today. If you don't try to talk to her, then it could get worse. Besides, it's always hard to find these kinds of things out by accident...especially, when it concerns a friend." _

**Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!**

_When Haruka found out, was she upset too? So then... is Mina upset right now because I didn't tell her or..._

She remembered the ending of their scrimmage. She had tried to approach the blonde but the way she looked at her: It was a look of sheer horror.

_What if I had killed her? _When she had regained consciousness, there had been an unusually strong stench of blood in the area. Perhaps her senses had amplified the smell, but it hadn't been her own. Minako had been injured.

_I hurt her. And now, she's probably afraid of me. _

There was a pain in her chest.

"_...I think that's enough for today. C'mon, we'll get someone to look at you."_

_Was she trying to be nice to me out of pity? If this is really our final task, then...we might be going separate ways soon. What if she doesn't let me explain myself? If that happens, if I die before I can tell her then--! _

**Plip…**

Rei barged into a ground floor room containing Setsuna's sphere and shut the door behind her, panting heavily. For a moment, she leaned against the wooden frame and covered her eyes. She couldn't believe it.

_What is…?_

With a shaky, disbelieving hand, she tentatively touched her cheek to feel the wetness there.

_I'm crying...? _The very thought of it brought more tears to her face. She stood there for a minute, allowing the tears to fall. It did feel a bit better, but she had no right to cry.

"Heh. What am I doing? There's still something that I have to do," she sniffed and wiped her face. Setsuna's sphere was hovering on a nearby counter, just within reach.

Rei walked up to the sphere and remembered Setsuna's instructions. "Wait a second. How do we activate them?" A frown creased her lips. Not sure what else to do, she touched the ball of energy. The reaction was instantaneous; a flash of energy shot up her arm and a large gust of wind and light materialized within the room.

"Geh---!" Rei braced herself as a vacuum-like suction was initiated. Setsuna's sphere burned white-hot as the spiritual energy outside flew through the walls and into the orb.

**Rmm...Rmm...Rmm**

(Haruka and Michiru)

Neptune and Uranus uncovered Setsuna's spheres within their respective areas as well.

(Minako, Area Eight)

To Minako's annoyance, she found herself continuously being distracted during her search; she couldn't get Rei's words out of her mind, the way the Martian had looked at her just before she ran into the city and disappeared from sight.

"_Minako. After this is all over, let's have that talk that you wanted, okay?"_

_Stupid...! Stupid, stupid, stupid! Don't you get it at all?! _It was tearing her heart up inside. She was furious, but more at herself.

_I almost killed you that time! So, why are you still trying to be nice to me?_ After their session in the training yard, her missing memories on Venus came back crystal clear. For that one instant, the way Rei had looked at her, hurt and injured because of her, it made her heart twist in her chest.

Her conversation with Hotaru came back to her.

"_I'm torn between what I want to do, and what I need to do. Does that make any sense?"_

_I thought I had it all figured out. But now...I see that I was the one who was being the idiot. When I saw her with Usagi, I got jealous. I thought, I was there for her the entire time, so...why didn't she ever look at me like that? I couldn't understand why she ever came back for me. _

_But now...I think I know why. She's a good person, and I don't deserve it. She was sick this entire time and I never noticed._

_I don't want to hurt her._

_I don't want to lose her._

_Those pitiful self-righteous thoughts... I was just worried about myself this entire time. I hurt her, _When she left Neptune without a word, _I tricked her. I took advantage of her! _Telling her that the kiss was a Venusian tradition; she never had been more ashamed of herself. What happened in the training yard today, she felt that she deserved it. Rei had every right to be angry with her.

_So why, are you still trying to be nice to me?! It's not fair!_

_... Being so close to hold hands…_

_...Being so close to touch, to kiss…_

…_Sometimes... these feelings make me wonder if I'll go insane…_

… _Because…_

…_I want to keep you to myself._

Minako suddenly felt a strong vibe pulse within her body. In the square up ahead she could make out a glowing sphere hovering in front of a fountain. She blinked and came to a skidding stop, just barely avoiding running into it.

"Woah!" Breathing heavily, she brought a hand up to her chest, where she could feel her heart pounding like crazy, and sighed in relief. _Whew. That's was close! I really should've been paying more attention._

That was when she noticed something strange about the area.

"Huh? Wow, where am I?" She was in a very different section of the city since she last noticed. _The atmosphere is different here. Somehow, it feels more peaceful. _In the background, there was a soothing trickling sound given off by the nearby, running fountain.

"I guess...I was so caught up in my thoughts that I went on auto-pilot."It was somewhat embarrassing considering the reason why, but she had accomplished her task and that was all that mattered didn't it? Minako approached the sphere. "So… is this what we were supposed to be looking for? Now that I think about it, it does feel like Setsuna." There was a strange presence surrounding it, one that she could not quite describe if she tried. It felt as if something was calling to her.

Minako slowly reached out for it and pressed her palm against the ball of energy.

**Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen---**

The Venusian yelped when a bright light erupted into the area. Minako instinctively pushed her weight onto the back of her heels to resist the vacuum effect, but as quickly she had done so the wind transitioned outwards.

"Ahhh--ah—GaH!!!!!" She screamed when she was knocked to the ground and sent rolling into the side of a nearby building. She wasn't injured in the impact, but the way she had fallen she was trapped against the bricks. The wind was so powerful.

In shock, Minako struggled to raise a hand to her face to shield her eyes against the light. There were thin streams of light trailing up from the orb, resembling something like snakes as they waved upward and downwards. Suddenly, the atmosphere changed. But before Minako could blink, the energies pierced through the light-screen and impaled her body. Her heart skipped a beat, and she screamed.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH---!!!!!"

Scream after scream was forcefully torn from her throat as each new strand pierced her; inside her body, the white threads were intermingling with Minako's aura and undergoing a transformation to match the new signature. As it progressed, and Minako's spiritual powers increased, she felt a pressurized sensation build as her current limits began to crumble under the strain. Her vision was going white, and her body was becoming so numb. She couldn't hear her screams anymore.

_It hurts. But, I can't stop now. Everyone is going through the same thing...! I can't let them down!_

"…Heh." A small smile found its way to her face.

_I wonder...Rei, are you all right?_

"Yaaaaa_AAAAHHHHHH--!!!!!!!!_"

(Entrance to the City, Setsuna)

The trio looked up to the sky overhead as each of the spheres was being activated. When a district became active, the lights surrounding that particular area were ripped away from their designated structures and were sucked towards their source points. Eventually, the city was no longer glowing. The structures returned to the state that they were destined to be -- dull and lifeless statues that stood only for the purpose of preserving the recently recovered history.

"So it has begun." Setsuna remarked to herself softly. There was a sorrowful look in her crimson eyes as she said this; she could hear screams in the distance, but they were not from her charges.

"Then that means...that they will shortly begin the second task, is that right?" Artemis asked.

"Yes. Soon they will discover who their targets are."

She heard her comrades gasp. _Wait a minute--_

"Who?!" Artemis and Luna exclaimed.

(Rei, Area Five)

The light within the room died down, and Rei's limp body collapsed to the floor. She had momentarily blacked out, but now she was never more aware.

_I survived? I-I can't believe it. I thought, for sure that I was going to be crushed to death!_

Slowly, to her amazement, the heavy weight over her body began to lift. Within the woman's body, the enormous mass of crimson threads poked at her muscles and began to caress them back to life; pockets of warmth lit up across her body, loosening up the stiff muscles to leave behind a rejuvenated, tingling sensation. She was especially thankful to have the invisible, heavy weight lifted from her chest-- grateful enough that she gasped and shuddered. The suffocation that had been second on her list of possible ways of being killed was no more. Lastly, her vision returned in clear focus. The moment her amethyst eyes regained light to them, the process was complete.

"Rrg...!" Rei pushed herself up to her feet and paused in surprise. _Wait a minute...my body--! _"It feels as light as a feather."

_I-I can't believe this._ She stared at her hands, her tears long dried and forgotten. She was shaking. _I feel so much stronger now! Stronger than I've ever been! Is this really my power? _

Their group discussion before they had all entered the city came back to mind.

_Setsuna said that a person could become significantly stronger if they became a God. I know that Haruka did when she became a Goddess, but since I haven't done that, then what does that make me? Am I...even human anymore?_

Unknown to her, her other companions were experiencing similar results. Each and every one of them felt a significant increase in their strength and basked in it with awe. What had they become? A human who was trapped between the boundaries of a human and a God, and Gods who were still Gods but something more?

_How will this affect my condition? _The thought actually scared the Martian, but it was too late to turn back now. _I thought about it while Setsuna was explaining everything to us. Ami designed the medication to sap away my aura, but now that I have more of it, wouldn't that mean it will be less ineffective from now on? _She gasped when the realization dawned on her. _Is this what Setsuna meant?!_

"_...As long as I have this medication, they should be safe."_

"_I'm afraid...That alone won't be enough."_

Rei knew that she was shaky slightly. Her battle against Minako in the training yard, and now... Of course, why hadn't she thought of it before?

"_The medication that you use now is only a temporarily relief. It will not be enough to spare you from your fate."_

_She must have known about this! But then, why didn't she tell me?_ When Rei realized what she had thought, she almost smiled. It was a foolish question. She already knew why the woman hadn't told her. _No. She didn't tell me, because, even if she had, she knew that I would have done it anyway. To be honest...when I knew that everyone else was going to be doing this exercise, I couldn't stand the thought of being left behind. I didn't want to be the only one who didn't get stronger. _

_I didn't want to be a burden._

"All right, enough mushy-stuff Rei. You're the Commander of Mars for Mars sake!" Still, the thought eased some of the uncertainty inside. "Now let's see. There's still the second task to do before we can leave. What did she say again?"

"_After you have absorbed the energy from your area, search for my signature within yourselves and 'paint' it with a strand of your own aura onto your weapon." _

_Oh right. Now I remember... I need to find Setsuna's signature within me._

With that the Martian closed her eyes and concentrated on finding that single thread of aura within herself. She didn't have to look far—in her spiritual vision, it was a long, purple string that was poking out of the red masses. Rei made a pinching motion at the top of her left forearm and began to pull back. The thread began to materialize into the air in front of her. Once it had been completely drawn out, she then laid the piece overtop of her sword and infused a portion of her own power into it. The thread flared up pink as the two colours mixed (it had momentarily surprised the woman, but she sensed no danger from it).

_All right...now... _Doing as she had been instructed, Rei applied pressure at the tip of one end and swiped across the blade. The response was immediate. Across the 'blood' looking stain, gold letters began to appear. As they revealed her target, Rei's eyes widened in complete shock.

"It can't be." She whispered.

(Setsuna, city limits)

"That is correct. They will discover that their target is not an inanimate object within the city…" The former advisor slowly answered. "But rather…"

(Minako, Area Eight)

"My target..." Minako trembled. Her target was written on her golden chain. "...Is Rei?"

"_Whatever your target may be… you are to search it out and strike it with your weapon. The mark painted onto your weapon will appear on your target once you have struck it. That... is how we will know if you have successfully completed the second task."_

"I have to fight Rei?"

(Setsuna, city limits)

"But why?! Why did you purposely pair them up that way Setsuna?! You've not only set them up against their friends, but the people they care about the most!" Artemis protested.

Even Luna had to agree with him. "When you said you had a plan, I hadn't expected this. It is unusually cruel, even for you."

"Yes, I know." Setsuna responded with indifference to their accusations. "However, I still stand by my decision. It may seem cruel now, but it would be far crueller if they should encounter such a situation in battle and not know how to deal with it. There... will always exist the chance that someone precious to you will be used as a shield by the enemy, or turn against you."

"You're really putting a lot of trust into them, aren't you?" Artemis asked uncertainly. "So many things can go wrong with this. What if they accidentally kill each other? They only acquired those powers after all!"

"…"

"Artemis, that's enough."

"Luna..."

"What's done, is done... Besides, you know that Setsuna is right. If they cannot handle it now, then they were simply not fit for war."

"What?!" At first, he was shocked. But after another moment of considering her words, he relented. "I know. But still...It would have been nice if we didn't have to fight at all."

His friends fell into an amicable silence.

_Indeed. However, this is the reality of things. This is war, and we all have a duty to uphold._

"Let us hope...that they all return safe and sound."

(Hotaru)

Hotaru gracefully leapt across a series of rooftops with her head buzzing with thoughts.

"_Are you still running?" _A familiar voice whispered. _"What is there to be afraid of?"_

"_The throne...?"_

"_...Apollo?"_

"…_Yourself…?"_

She had expected as much from Setsuna, but nothing could have prepared her for the shock of it actually happening.

_My target is…_

"Usagi?!"

The dark-haired woman nearly stumbled off the rooftop when she spotted her twin on the ground-floor below. Usagi had fallen to her knees, breathing heavily as she shakily steadied herself against the cement floor for support. She looked—frantic—the word came to mind.

_What is she looking for?_

Usagi was constantly scanning the area around her, as if she were a lost child in search of her mother. In a bitter sense of irony, Hotaru felt like her sister was.

_Are you looking for HER, Usagi? Even I… We will never find her. She will never come back to us. The woman who gave birth to us, who brought us into this world... _

_...Who taught us, and loved us...is gone forever._

Hotaru felt her heart clench in her chest as she continued to watch her sister's vulnerable expression. Loneliness, she knew it well.

"_You still are clinging on."_ A voice deep inside echoed. _Apollo,_ she remembered his face well as he scolded her in their past lessons. As deep as her hatred was for him, the heir could not deny the one useful lesson that he taught her.

"_Let go, Hotaru! You cannot allow your attachments to weigh you down! When there is no one left, who will you go to? All will eventually die. They will ALL die! Do not allow yourself to be lonely because of them. Never, be lonely. All you need… is yourself!"_

_When there is no one else to turn to… as painful as it is, you must learn to let go and move on. It is very difficult. When I had lost everything, I chose to be alone, rather than move on...and it resulted in centuries of grief. _She thought of the way her sister cried the night that they had confronted one another. _After our mother died, you were put to sleep. If you had known that your only family had betrayed you, and wanted you dead...what would you do? _

_...Usagi..._ Hotaru's eyes narrowed. She already knew the answer to that.

_Our mother can no longer teach you… And because of that, you are now struggling. When you catch sight of me, you will likely cling to me as well. However, you cannot cling to me forever… and neither I, to you. This precious time granted to us will not last long._

…_Therefore…_

…_Please allow me to teach you this one lesson in HER place._

"Usagi!"

Usagi was thoroughly startled to see her sister land gracefully in front of her.

"H-Hotaru?! Is that really you?" She rushed forward with the intention of embracing her when Hotaru motioned for her to stop. That was when realization dawned in the blonde's, blue eyes. "It can't be true. Please tell me it isn't true! You-- you aren't really my…"

"I am your target, am I not?" Hotaru calmly asked. It was written all over her sister's face—she was just so predictable. "Well, at any rate you are mine." She watched Usagi's head shoot up in response to her aloof demeanour.

_You think that I don't know what you are trying to do, Setsuna? This plan of yours to toughen us up…_

… _is risky._

_However, I will take this opportunity in stride. I suppose, for that, I owe you my thanks. _

Hotaru summoned her silence glaive, and twirled it briefly between her hands before pointing its blade at her sister's throat. Usagi froze like a deer caught in the headlights. Where had she seen this before?

_This position… She did the same thing in my dream!_

"H-Hotaru, what are you doing?! Please put that away! We shouldn't be fighting! It must be a mistake!"

"There is no mistake. Now, prepare yourself Usagi."

The younger woman slowly rose to her feet at the insistence of Hotaru's blade. As she stood up, the blade followed with her.

_Why? Why is this happening? Hotaru... _Her mind couldn't come to grasp the sight of her beloved sister staring determinedly at her with such threatening eyes—they were icy and distant, yet sharply focused at all once. She was looking at her, acknowledged her, and yet...

"Are you mad at me? If you want to be the next ruler, then you can! I won't mind!"

The corners of Hotaru's mouth twitched.

"You were supposed to take the throne anyway! It's rightfully yours--"

"Stop speaking such nonsense! We are to strike each other, and complete the second task! Or have you already forgotten that?"

"But why do we have to hurt each other?! I don't understand this at all! If all we have to do is 'mark' the other person, then why can't we do it gently?"

"It won't work."

"What?"

"You are… very naïve, Usagi. Setsuna is not that simple. This war... is not simple. Have you ever fought with everything on the line? With the feeling that everything precious to you may be taken away from you within the blink of an eye?" Hotaru's expression steeled. "The time that we fought after you had awakened, and the match we had earlier today, they are both a dull comparison to what we will face on the battlefield. That... is the very reason why the others cannot take you seriously! Behind your mild-mannered self, you still tremble at the thought of battle. So you can smile and say whatever you'd like, but we all know the truth. You _hate_ fighting! And to be honest, we all do. But what separates _you_ from _us_ is that we do what we need to. There are people... who struggle between what they want and what they have to do! But they don't stop! They don't run away! So why are you?!"

Usagi trembled at the cruel, harsh words. She knew that they were true, and they stung.

_Hotaru was always the stronger one of the two of us. She always faced reality, even if she knew it would be hard. But me...? I always ran away. I'd cry, and hide behind my smile. But she...because of Hotaru, I'm forced to look back._

"Setsuna will not allow us to get off easy. Or, haven't you noticed when she told us to not do things half-heartedly?"

Hotaru abruptly swiped her blade across Usagi's cheek, leaving behind a thin, narrow wound. It was shallow, but still bled a little.

"Do you see now? The mark upon my blade is still there."

For the first time since their meeting, Usagi briefly noticed the sadness flickering within those dark eyes. However, it was quickly swallowed up and was replaced by a fighting spirit.

"Do not prolong this longer than it has to be. Fight me!" Hotaru demanded. She pulled back her weapon and charged forward, thus forcefully initiating the battle.

"HaaaaaaaAH!"

**CRACKLE!**

(Rei)

Rei sat upon a rooftop and remained still as she detected the other signatures on the move. There were battles beginning all around her; the sound of gun shots, the clashing of blades and the roar of thunder boomed loudly in the air.

Green lightning tore through a row of buildings in the distance, bringing a single structure to crumble under its newfound power. Bursts of blue light were seen following closely behind it.

_There's Ami and Makoto…_

To her right she sensed the wind gathering.

_And Haruka is over there. Michiru must be close behind. So…I guess everyone else has already started. _Yet here she was, loitering about.

Rei eyed her blade where Minako's name still brightly shone. She had barely budged from where her sphere had been hidden, with exception of climbing up onto the top of the building where there was a flat rooftop. She then turned her dark eyes up at the purple coloured dome above them, the assurance in Setsuna's plan, with the same stern expression.

'There really is no other way to get out, is there?' She mused loudly. "What do you think…Minako?"

**Tup. Tup. Tup. Tup.**

She heard the Venusian step up behind her, but the blonde didn't reply.

Rei pushed herself up to her feet and slowly turned around to meet that intense gaze. When their eyes met, both women felt an electric shock flash through their bodies. Compared to the training yard, it felt different this time. There was no anger between them, but a heavy air of uncertainty.

The sword in Rei's hands suddenly weighed heavy in her hands, as though it were imitating the very same burden upon her shoulders, heart, and mind.

_There were only two other times when I cried before now. But when I thought of you..._

"Did you think about what I said?" She saw that Minako's eyes were filled with emotion, but she couldn't distinguish what. "When this is all over...I'd still like to have that talk if you don't mind."

"Do you really mean that?" The corner of Minako's lips curved up into a smile. "I seem to recall that a certain someone had run away the last time I tried that."

"I know. I'm sorry..."

_**Lubb Dubb.**_

_Huh?! Did she just apologize?! _Minako was so shocked by what she heard that she barely noticed the Martian gesturing to her sword.

"But before we get into that...there's still something that we both need to do. Are you ready?"

Minako hesitated, and narrowed her eyes. "That's kind of funny, hearing that coming from you. What about this illness I've been hearing about?"

Rei returned the gesture. "Well, if you beat me, then I might tell you. But only if you do." She saw the Venusian twitch.

"Jeez... Confident as always, aren't you?" _Well, I have to admit. She did somehow manage to beat me in that fight on Venus._

"Not really. Beating you won't be that much of a challenge." She smirked.

"What?!" _Why I outta...! That arrogant jerk! I take it back. She only managed to beat me by a fluke that time! _"WELL! If you're feeling well enough to make smart-ass remarks like that, then you're fine. So all right! Don't tell me. But don't go using this 'illness' as an excuse after I beat your sorry butt!"

With the flick of her wrists Minako materialized two golden chains.

"Not a problem." Rei noticed that the one clutched in her right hand had her name engraved on it. Rei figured as much and, in a way, secretly felt relieved that it turned out this way; guilt would haunt her to no end if she attacked someone whose battle was not with her.

As they both posed themselves for battle, second thoughts whizzed through both their minds.

"…"

_This is what I am supposed to do, right? _Minako questioned herself. _I'm supposed to perform my duty to become stronger, to end the war... But...what Hotaru said was also right. There's no way that I can please everyone. At least, that's what I'd like to believe._

_But before I can tell her how I feel, I need to be honest with myself._

Rei was surprised when Minako gestured her to wait. _What is she doing?_ She saw the Venusian gather breath.

"My name... is Venus Minako! I am the youngest of my brothers and sisters, and was born with virtually no powers. When I was older, I was sent to Mars in my mother's place to negotiate with Ares, the God of War, towards our ideology. Instead, I met a woman of Mars who was acting as leader in his stead. I traveled with her, and befriended many others along the way... Until, finally… I returned to Venus. Now I am…"

Rei's heart skipped a beat. _Aphrodite?_

"…I am the Goddess of Love, Venus Minako! And I will do everything within my power to help win this war!"

Rei was stunned. She wasn't quite sure what to make of this out-of-the-blue confession.

_You mean she came to Mars because of that? But why is she telling me this now? Ah...I see. _She could see it in her blue eyes. _You're expecting me to hate you. _

It was Minako's turn to be surprised when Rei smiled.

"My name is Hino Rei, a soldier of Mars. When I was young, I was adopted by Ares and became his heir. Recently during his leave, I came across a woman from Venus. We traveled together, and were soon joined by others that we have met along the way." She paused. "I am, and always have been... human. My goal is to become stronger, and hunt Ares down and kill him! I will also help to win this war!"

_You mean... you were adopted?_

The ambience unconsciously shifted to a new kind of intensity. This was going to be a real fight.

They both narrowed their eyes when Rei made the first move.

"Here---!!! I come!"

Rei threw back her sword arm and lunged forward with her blade poised, "HaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAH!", and Minako countered.

"Hah!"

**Slash!**

**Shink-shink--!**

_This is who I am!_

(Hotaru)

**CRACKLE!**

Hotaru leapt back and stumbled for balance. If she had moved a second earlier then she could have escaped the white beam of light unscathed. However, she hadn't and as a result the attack had grazed her shoulder. The dark-haired woman knew that the mark was there, but she didn't brood over it; the battle was still ongoing. The Silence Glaive in her hand no longer carried Setsuna's mark, yet there was none illuminating upon her body. From head to toe, the only evidence of battle marring her form was comprised of forming bruises that were occasionally interrupted by a mass of irritating small cuts.

Hotaru sunk into a defensive stance and waited for her opponent's move with baited breath. The encompassing atmosphere fell unbearably silent in the absence of her attacker.

A noise perked her ears and she instinctively dove to the side and break rolled as another beam came barrelling from behind.

**Crackle----**_**Kablam!**_

Hotaru leapt up from the roll and ducked into a nearby alleyway, crossing through it until she came to a stop at its end. Usagi's energy signature was closer now. However, as the experienced fighter attempted to trace the remnant energy to where the blonde hid she became distracted.

_Hm? What was--?!_

Her dark eyes trained onto a glowing sphere of light drifting nearby. She recognized the entity immediately, and her eyes widened a bit; it was the same unnatural sphere that she previously encountered earlier during her search of the city.

_What? There's more?_

Uneasiness crept into her heart as others like it exited from the nearby entranceways and moved to cover both sides of the street. Lazily their forms hovered about—some of them remained situated in place as if they were entranced by something, while others randomly circled stationary objects along the ground as if they were acting as lanterns for the dead. Yet the first glowing orb appeared to be rather interested to her. As it drew uncomfortably nearer, Hotaru hastily stepped away from it, her heart was pounding in her chest, until a spine tingling iciness brushed up against her arm.

"_Stop this! Please stop!" An unknown man's face flashed before her vision. There was a quick movement, a glimmer of a blade, and the figure slumped to the ground in a spray of red. "ARRRRRGH!"_

"Huh--?!" Hotaru yelped and turned her head in time to see, to her horror, another light.

The first one abruptly charged the startled heir and sent her stumbling back into the open street.

**Swoop!**

"Ahhh! What the--!"

She was cut off when a stomach churning realization dawned upon her. The sphere had successfully forced her into the center of a circle of hovering spheres. The glowing orbs floated upwards and downwards in unison, syncing themselves for reasons unknown to the woman.

_W-What are these things?_

The agitated heir swung her blade at the nearest ball of light, only to discover her solution had little effect on the spiritual entity. If anything, the attack seemed to provoke it and the others.

Voices, she heard them now. There were voices rising from the ground as though they had been engraved into the stone where the dead had fallen. The screams came next, followed closely by the sounds of a heavy weight falling onto the ground. Hotaru's eyes widened and her pupils constricted in shock before she squeezed her eyes closed. She shook her head frantically in vain as the whispers, century's old, came to lay judgement on their fallen princess.

"_Enough… Enough…"_

"_The one who slaughtered us all…"_

"…_Cannot hide… hide…"_

"Nngh---!"

**Slash!**

"G-Get away from me!"

"… _Remember…"_

"_Fall."_

They ignored her pleas, and began to spin around her in a circular formation. Faster and faster they went until they became one blur. She tried hitting them with her blade, and found it bouncing back with a crack of light. It wasn't good enough. Becoming a little frantic, she then unleashed several bolts of power.

_**Crackle! Crackle!**__**Crackle!**_

The circle's formation suddenly became scattered, and the orbs momentarily froze in their movements. But Hotaru's relief was cut short when a glint of white caught the corner of her eye. She whirled on the spot and was prepared to confront the entity until she saw what it was. Her heart nearly stopped. An illuminated figure of a woman was purposely making its way towards her from the alleyway she had only been forced from.

_Mother…? No, it's--!_ On the woman's left shoulder there was a large gash outlined by Setsuna's signature. _The bleeding—it's already stopped? She must have been hiding, and healed herself while I was distracted! But, she shouldn't come here! Can't she sense them?! There are likely others close by!_

"Usagi! Don't come any closer!"

Midway through the alleyway Usagi raised a hand. White particles were beginning to gather around her fingertips to form another beam of light. Even then, as Hotaru could plainly see, her sister was struggling internally for the courage to do what she was about to do. It looked like she was about to cry, but she was still pressing forward.

_...Usagi..._

Usagi gulped, and Hotaru defensively brought up her blade. However, the simple movement tore her focus away from her backside long enough for one of the dormant spheres to spring back to life and ram itself into the small of Hotaru's back. The woman gasped as she was hit, and dropped her weapon in surprise. As she fell, she could see Usagi's attack flicker in warning.

_Oh no! I can't---_

**CRACKLE!**

**BLAM!**

"GaH!!!" Hotaru screamed as the blast ripped through her side and sent her battered body crashing into a nearby cement wall. The collision was so hard that her back became trapped between the bricks of broken rock and matrix. Her silence glaive still rolled along the ground as her twin ran towards her.

"Hotaru!!!!" Usagi screamed. Before Hotaru knew it, she was being lifted out from of the wall and was placed onto the floor into a more comfortable position.

"Hotaru…? Hotaru?! Are you all right?! Please, say something!" _Oh no! What have I done?!_

"Don't… make that face. That was a good hit Usagi. You've gotten stronger."

"B-But I've really hurt you! Why didn't you block it?!" The blonde could barely make out Setsuna's signature, the proof of her accomplishment, marking the blood-soaked wound.

_I thought I would be happy to complete this task, to be able to finally go home and to see the others. I thought I would be happy if you would praise me--! If the others would accept me! But I… this isn't what I wanted! I don't want to go home alone!_

She applied pressure over the wound and strained to heal what she could with her powers.

"Why didn't you block it? Why?" She asked again. There was just so much blood.

"…I couldn't."

"That's not true!" She screamed. The floating lights, to Hotaru's relief, had vanished. "Don't tell me that you couldn't block it, because I know you could! You just stood there and let it hit you! What if I had killed you?!"

Hotaru lightly pressed her fingers against those quivering lips to silence her shaken sibling.

"I've had worse. I won't die," She calmly tried to assure her.

_Those things… no, those people, my people… they wanted me to…_

"_Fall…"_

_I violated the trust of the ones I should have been protecting. Even after their deaths, they still curse me. They wish for my death._

"… _Fall..."_

_I've never forgotten. After all of these years, please, believe me… I… never... once... forgotten my sins. _

"… _Fall."_

_Me, being the next Queen? No, that is impossible. It was never meant to be._

"I've been thinking a lot about what Setsuna said to us earlier… and I think you should be the next Queen, Usagi."

Usagi was shocked.

"How can you even talk about something like that at a time like this?! You're injured! We need to get you out of here right away and get you medical attention!"

"Please listen to me Usagi. I don't… deserve the throne. Not after what I've done…"

"…"

"After I disappeared all of those centuries ago, I thought I had lost everything. I sealed myself away on Saturn all this time. When I finally woke up and met you again, and met everyone… I almost couldn't believe it. To be still considered an heir of the Moon, to be welcomed back to the very home I've destroyed... I began to realize how awkward it was, because… it is no longer my home. I have no right to call it that."

"What? What are you saying? Of course it's your home! It always was and will be!"

Hotaru met her gaze. _Would you think of me as cruel, to place such a heavy burden onto you?_

"Remember what our mother used to teach us? _The Moon reflects the true light of the Sun_. The Sun's light was originally pure and good before it became corrupt. However, one must also remember that behind the Moon's light is its shadow. I am abdicating all rights to the throne. I am no longer an heir of the Moon, but a dark warrior of Saturn. That girl... the second heir of the Moon died in battle with her mother many centuries ago. Do you understand, Usagi? I want you, to become the Queen, and I... let me become your shadow. I-- can serve as your blade! So please… use me however you see fit."

_I promise. I won't let you do this alone…_

"Hotaru…"

"The way I'm looking right now, you'll have to get used to this." She attempted to smile, but was cut off when Usagi embraced her tightly.

"You're so silly," she sobbed. "I won't see you as anything but my sister! Never a blade... or a tool to be used… just, my sister!"

Before Hotaru knew it, both of them were crying.

(Rei)

**Crackle--**

**Crackle—**

**--------**_**Kaboom!**_

As the dust rose into the air and screened the Martian from Minako's vision, Rei leapt down from the roof and narrowly dodged the two sets of chains that had shot out of the cover.

"Oof!" Rei landed on the street and dashed to the other side. The distance between her and Minako widened momentarily.

"Running away?" Minako called tauntingly after her. No sooner than the words had left her mouth, the chains whipped after their target.

Without any thought, Rei rolled out of the path of the first and countered the second with a wide swung of her sword. The links noisily ground into the metal blade as they passed, their sheer force threatening to topple the raven-haired woman off balance.

**Shink---**

**Shink--- Ting! Clink!**

Rei shoved the pest aside and charged forward with sights set on her true opponent. There was a flick of her wrist as she unleashed a series of aura shots towards where Minako stood. However, the Venusian wasn't about to hang around and let herself be hit; together they began racing down the street, on opposite sides-- one by ground and the other by rooftop. One was being chased by chains and the other, by crimson discs.

"Take this! Haaaaah!"

**Crackle---**

**Shom!** **Shom!** **Shom!**

_**Shom—blam!**_

_**Shom---blam!**_

**Shom!**

_Grr… She's fast!_ Rei cursed her 'less than adequate' aim. Her adaptation to using her new skills in such a way was slower than she had anticipated.

**Shii—iiiiiiink--!!**

_Ah!_ A metal chain had caught up from behind.

"Damn it!"

**Shom, Shom, Shom—**

_**Blam! Blam! Blam!**_

The first chain was knocked down from the assault, but despite the Martian's briefly earned respite her senses were still on high alert. She had seen something similar to this once before.

_Wait a minute! Where is the second one?!_

Rei whipped her head in Minako's direction to see the blonde smiling very smugly. Not a good sign she noted.

**Rmm…Rmm…Rmm…**

**Crack!**

"!"

The alarming noise instantly drew Rei's attention to the brick wall directly behind her. Without turning around she knew where the other chain had gone.

_The wall!_

"Argh!" With some fancy manoeuvring on her part, the Martian soldier flipped her sword handle within her grasp and deflected the links aimed at her side with the back of her blade. She barely made it on time; the digging pressure that pressed against her sword into her side served as a grim reminder of what could have been.

_...This isn't good. I need to close the distance!_ With a determined glint in her eye, Rei waited until the chain neared its maximum reach. As it did, the Martian carefully slipped her sword along the links, slowly bending the tip of the blade more and more horizontally until…

**Ting—clink!**

The tip of the blade was caught within one of the passing links! The chain violently jerked and was halted in its motion—it tugged against Minako's insistent grip on the other end.

A trickle of sweat fell down Rei's face as she unleashed another powerful series of aura shots into the chain.

"HAH!"

**Shom, Shom, Shom, Shom, Shom!**

_**Blam! Blam! Blam! Blam! Blam!**_

Minako gritted her teeth as she struggled to hold her weapon steady. Yet with each connecting blast the vibrations painfully shook her entire body. She winced back against the pain, finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate as a few of her opponent's aura shots strayed from their intended target and hit base of the other chain as well.

The firing ceased with one final explosion.

**Shom—**_**BLAM!**_

"Got you."

The Venusian met Rei's satisfied expression and found herself, this time, frowning. As far as she could tell Rei hadn't accomplished anything.

Rei shifted her weight forward and pulled her blade and the chain towards the blonde. To Minako's surprise she was being pulled forward along with her.

_What?!_ Her instincts were telling her to let go as she was forcefully dragged nearer and nearer to the roof's edge. _Okay, no problem! I'll just let go and I'll----_

**Tug----**

_I…_

"I can't let go?!"

She desperately tried moving the fingers that encircled her weapons, but they wouldn't budge. Her hands remained clamped tightly upon the links. Now she realized Rei's plan, but it was too late.

_You don't mean to tell me that she purposely hit the chain? Damn...! All of the vibrations made my hands go numb! I—I really can't let go!_

"Ready?!"

_Oh no, she's going to---!_

"Here... we... GO!" Rei dropped her shoulder and heaved hard.

"Ah—AHHHHHH!!!!" Minako screamed as she lost her balance and was sent falling off of the building headfirst. Her concentration shattered mid air, and her chains along with it. Everything mounted to her disadvantage, leaving her helplessly vulnerable all due to one error in her calculations; under-estimating her opponent.

_I'm going to----!! _As she braced herself for the painful collision, an enormous aura disc hit the wall beneath her, creating a blast of air that helped to cushion her fall.

**SHOM—BLAM!**

**Shssssssssss…**

What would have been a potentially dangerous injury became nothing more than a scrape on the knee.

_Why? Why did she...? _Minako staggered to her feet in a daze, bewildered over Rei's act of mercy. They were opponents in this battle and you do not help an opponent, even if she was your friend and was falling off of a building. Yet the blonde supposed she could simply ask her adversary. After all, she was charging towards her with a sword.

With a flick of the wrist, Minako managed to re-materialize one short, chain-like sword to defend herself before the blow connected.

**Shink!!!**

**Ting!!**

They both clashed and came into a deadlock.

"What was that for Rei?" Minako grunted against the downward force upon her weapon. "Why…did you save me?!"

Rei's body tensed and she pushed harder into her sword, forcing the Venusian to bend her knees more to compensate.

"Please. Who said I saved you? You were just clumsy and just tripped. You don't need protection from anyone... remember?"

Minako's heart skipped a beat and her face flushed.

_The vow that I made to myself…_

"Yah!" Minako tipped Rei's sword upwards and kicked the woman back. Using this opportunity the Venusian entirely re-formed a chain and sent it hurling at her opponent. Rei hadn't the time to evade it and took the strike head on.

**Shink! **

"AhHH---!"

**Wham!**

Her body was flipped by the force of the connecting blow, only to land with a painful thud as she re-established contact with the ground. Rei struggled to regain her senses, however Minako wasn't through with her opponent yet; Setsuna's mark still gleamed brightly upon her weapon. With that, before her opponent could recover, the blonde willed the snake-like aura to grip onto the Martian's ankle and whipped her into the nearest wall.

**Wham!**

"AHHHGH!" The woman screamed with each blow.

**Wham!**

**Wham!**

**Wham!**

_How ironic how familiar this looks... _Minako sadly mused. Inwardly she cringed as Rei's cries grew louder and louder. _I'm sorry Rei. Please! Just hang in there a little longer!_

**Wham---CRACK!**

_What was that?!_ A falling pebble caught her eye. She gasped. _Oh no!_

Rei had collided with a certain spot on the base of a building so often, and with such intensity, that some loose rocks on the rooftop from their earlier exchange of blows became unhinged.

"Rei! Look out!" The chain released its hold on the dazed Martian and coiled around her limp body protectively, effectively shielding her from a crushing fate.

**Crash!**

**Thud…  
Thud. Thud… Thud…**

The smaller boulders rolled onto the ground with a soft thud.

_That was… too close!_ Minako wiped away the sweat on her forehead. She had never felt her heart race so fast during this entire battle.

"So…What do you call that?"

The familiar words caught the Venusian off guard. "I wasn't saving anyone!" She protested.

"Really? Why do you say that?" The Martian pushed herself up to her feet and began to slowly walk towards the blonde. She never once batted an eye towards the chain lying momentarily dormant behind her. Or perhaps it was because she couldn't; her right eye was closed shut due to the blood spilling down from a head wound--a result of being bashed against so many times just moments before.

"…Because…you don't need saving."

They say that a liar needs a lot of practice to tell a lie naturally, to make it sound sincere… that a half-hearted lie said perfectly can still fall through the cracks otherwise. But lying to oneself is different from lying to another. Without any thought, the words leaving Minako's lips couldn't have been truer.

"Because you're strong."

Rei inwardly chuckled at the sentimental feeling from those words. She couldn't believe it. "So, what? I already knew that. If you think by flattering me, I'll go easier on you then you're wrong."

Minako shook her head. "Really...I think you've been hanging around Haruka too much. I think it's pretty clear who's stronger." Her voice trailed off when Rei suddenly went pale as a sheet. She was clenching at her chest, but why? "Rei...?"

"Stay back!"

A concerned look entered Minako's eyes. _Could it be... that it's gotten worse?! _"Rei, what's wrong?! Is your condition acting up again?"

The Martian slowly shook her head and chuckled to herself. _What a time for it to act up again...but then again, it's always the worst when I fight._ She wheezed and moved for the gun hidden in her pouch, but then an idea came to mind.

"Mina."

"Y-Yes?"

"Don't you think this fight has been going on for too long?"

"What do you mean?"

Rei gestured to her sword and her chain. "Take a look. Setsuna's mark is still there, and we can't leave until it disappears."

"So?"

"This next one...put everything you've got into it, all right?"

Minako was about to asking what she meant by that until she noticed something peculiar. There was a crimson aura surrounding Rei, but it was steadily growing stronger.

_This feeling..._Her eyes suddenly widened. _It's just like in the training yard today!_

She screamed and stumbled back when the power suddenly burst into gold flames. Soon the entire area was shaking under the influence of its power.

**RMM...RMM...RMM...**

Minako was astounded. For a few seconds, she had difficulty putting her thoughts into words.

"Rei...?" The woman's eyes were something else entirely; they were like a ferocious animal's. Did she even recognize her anymore? "Is...Is this what she meant by her condition?" Minako couldn't stop shaking. Could she really go head to head with something like this?

_No! C'mon Mina! Get a grip on yourself! No matter what...she's still Rei! _The Venusian rematerialized one of her chains and signalled to the other as the Martian began to step towards her, sword raised. An orange light began to emit itself from her body as they drew closer. Soon, their individual energies were clashing in the air for dominance before the battle had truly begun.

_Come on!!!_

Rei lunged forward with a great burst of speed and threw her entire weight into the attack. In the same instant, Minako threw her chains forward and the area was engulfed by light.

**KA—BLAAA-------AMM!!**

**RMM...RMm...RmM...Rmm...rmm...ssshh...**

It took some time for the dust to finally settle. When it finally did, both combatants could be seen on their knees and gasping for breath. A large gash raked across Minako's abdomen where Rei's blade had struck. It wasn't very deep, but it had left a mark and bled a bit. Rei on the other hand carried the wound left behind by the Venusian's chain; her sword arm shoulder had been torn open, and she bled heavily compared to Minako. To their sides, the blade and the chain were now absent of their marks. Those same marks now lay over both women's injuries instead as Setsuna had promised they would.

They had completed the second task.

_It's finally over?_ Rei gingerly touched her injured shoulder and shivered. She hadn't remembered what happened during the time she had tapped into _that _power, but it looked like Minako was okay, so she was relieved.

It was awhile before any of them spoke again.

"So, Rei...? What was that all about?" Minako wheezed from where she sat. She had crawled over to a nearby wall of rubble and slumped against it for support.

"About what...?"

"That...umm...golden light thing," she waved. "You suddenly just got a lot stronger. Is this the secret 'condition' that you were hiding from me? Cause it sure seems like it could come in handy. Why didn't you tell me about it before?"

"...Because..." Rei winced as she extracted the gun from her pouch and held it out for Minako to see.

"What's that?"

"My medication," She grunted when she administered the medicine. The noise it gave off triggered the memory of Venus in Minako's mind.

She couldn't believe it. "Wait a second! You used that on me, on Venus!"

Her shouting had startled the Martian. "Wait. You mean, you actually remember that? But I don't remember ever telling you... How much do you remember exactly?"

"Enough to know that I almost killed you..." she admitted shamefully.

"Minako..."

"It all came back to me while we were having our practice match this morning. And then, I nearly hurt you again," _If Usagi hadn't jumped in when she did, then... _"I'm really, really sorry that you had to go through all of that. I promise! It won't happen again."

_So please don't hate me._

Rei recalled the look of horror that she had seen during their sparring match. _Could it be--?_

"So you mean, when you looked at me during today's practice match...you were upset because you thought you were going to hurt me?"

"...Well, yeah. Why else?"

_Oh... _"Well, to be honest, I thought it was because you were afraid of me."

"What? Why would I be afraid of you?"

Rei took a deep breath. "Okay, listen Minako...what I'm about to tell you, I want you to promise that you won't tell anyone else. Can you do that?" She was still uneasy after Usagi had blurted her secret, but Minako wasn't Usagi.

"Umm...yeah, if you don't want me to, then it's not a problem"

"No, seriously. You can't tell any of the others about this, no matter what."

"Oh. Okay, then sure. I won't tell anyone, promise!" she nodded. Inside, she was feeling a little excited. What was she about to find out that no one else knew?

"All right... Well, you know this 'condition' of mine? You asked me if I was sick earlier. Do you remember that?"

"...Yeah."

"Well...I'm not really sure if you can call it an illness."

"What do you mean?"

"The power that I just used...is a technique that Ares, himself, created. It gives its user an enormous boost in power, but there's a price..."

Minako felt shivers run down her spine, and she was sure it wasn't from the wall. She was getting a bad feeling from this.

"What kind of price?" She finally asked.

Rei just smiled. "Well, it depends. The technique is more of an energy converter than anything, but... I guess you can say that there are two basic ingredients that it uses. One of them involves a blood sacrifice." She saw the predictable, stunned expression on the Venusian's face. "The more blood there is, the stronger the user can become. But there is another way to activate the technique...It's just, the price then comes from the user's life-force, that's all."

_**Lubb Dubb**_

Minako's eyes widened at the implication. She couldn't see Rei killing countless of people to satisfy this monstrous craving, so...

_No..._

"Then don't use it! If it means that people will have to die, or it's hurting you, then don't use it anymore!"

"I can't do that." She darkly muttered.

This response had completely taken Minako aback. But the upset look on her friend's face prevented her from shouting again.

"...Why not?"

"I guess the best way to put it...is that it's like a drug. After you've use it once, you're stuck with it for life. I didn't know this when Ares first taught it to me..." she revealed in a bitter voice. "But, with this," she held up Ami's gun, "I can at least fight back. It's what I've been using ever since we left Neptune. It's also why... I was kinda avoiding you lately. I was worried that I might hurt you, like during our practice match... It'll just act up sometimes, and I--"

She was surprised when Minako suddenly got up and stumbled over to her.

"Wha--? Mina--" she was caught off guard when the blonde slumped against her and wrapped her arms around her in the tightest hug her weak arms could muster.

"Silly Rei...You don't have to apologize." _This entire time, you were worried about me too..._ "You just startled me back then... that's all. But, everything is okay now, right?" She drew back and looked Rei in the eye. "I'm fine, and so are you."

"But--" She was shushed when Minako placed a finger on her lips and silenced her. For a second, Rei thought about the Venusian tradition despite the circumstances.

"Please Rei..." Minako rolled her eyes wearily. "You couldn't kill me even if you tried. But, I'm really glad that you told me about this. No matter what happens, we'll work through it somehow, all right?"

For a moment, even Rei didn't know what to say. The relief that she felt was nearly overwhelming.

"...Yeah." As she smiled, a blush ran across her cheeks.

"So, I guess we should go, right? The others are probably waiting. I don't hear anymore explosions," Minako joked.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Rei stood up and held out her hand to Minako. "So let's go?"

A blush of her own crept across Minako's face as she took her hand. This was exactly how it all started, hadn't it?

As the pair was making their way across the ruins, Minako couldn't help but think to herself,

_...After hearing what Rei told me...I didn't have the heart to ask about Usagi._

**

* * *

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**Next up in HFD, Ch. 30: Moon Kingdom: Waning Night**

**Upon hearing that Setsuna has had a relapse, the girls are given the evening off to recuperate. However, due to a certain someone's insistence the night is turned into a dancing party! But will all of the guests show? Some may have plans of their own brewing…**

"_**Do you remember when I told you that it was a Venusian custom? Well... I kinda lied."**_


	30. Moon Kingdom: Waning Night

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Sailor Moon**

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(City Entrance, Rei)

It was early morning when Rei and Minako finally returned to the meeting place, and when they arrived they were taken aback by the condition their friends were in; the majority of the others were in considerably worse shape than either of them were.

Haruka was hunched over on the ground and was covered by a multitude of small cuts that littered her arms and legs. Michiru was sitting right beside her. She was quiet, but she carried a handful of large, blackening bruises and an enormous gash on her left side just below her ribs. A few meters away to the right of the pair, both Luna and Ami were currently tending Jupiter's wounds. Makoto's partner was essentially spot-free of injury, strongly indicating that she had already received treatment, however her sparring partner was covered by dark bruises all along her upper body—it looked as though she had been peppered by stones. The last of the bodies in the area were Artemis and Setsuna; the man was steadying the former advisor against his side.

"Wow...What happened to everyone?" Minako whispered to Rei.

The Martian scanned the group with her remaining, open eye and offered a small shrug. "What we did I suppose…but worse."

_But it looks like we're still missing two..._ Upon remembering Usagi and Hotaru's last confrontation, Rei was inclined to expect the worst. _Those two...! They couldn't have, could they...? _

"Hey, Rei...? I think… Usagi and Hotaru are missing. I don't see them anywhere."

"We're right here." A weak voice spoke up.

The spoken party had just exited the city. Usagi was supporting Hotaru, allowing her to lean onto her side as she limped towards the group.

"Hotaru?!" Minako cried. "What happened?!" _Her wound...that doesn't look very good!_

"Lady Usagi! Lady Hotaru!" Luna left Jupiter's side and went to greet the pair. She cringed when she saw the state that they were in, especially Hotaru's; the dark-haired heir was deathly pale. She had broken out into a sweat and was barely holding onto consciousness-- a feat, alone, that the vice advisor considered a miracle judging by the blood loss and shock she was suffering due to the gaping hole in her side. Usagi's medical treatment had stopped the bleeding but it hadn't been enough.

"We must move her into the palace's medical ward and treat her wounds immediately!"

It was eerily quiet as Usagi slowly escorted her limping sister away with Luna, with Artemis and Setsuna following closely beside them. They were all injured, but a wound like Hotaru's was ridiculous for a practice match.

"I hope she'll be okay..." Minako thought aloud. She hadn't taken her eyes off of Hotaru's back this entire time and Rei had noticed.

"She'll be fine."

"Huh?"

"Hotaru's a strong person..." She muttered as she stepped into the space between Haruka, Michiru and Makoto. Rei took a deep breath and began to concentrate. As she did, a soft crimson glow began to light up around her—it was somehow different than what Minako had sensed in the battlefield. It was almost gentle somehow. "I still have some power left, so... I'm going to stay here and help with the first aid while Luna's gone. If you want, you can go and help them out. I'm sure they could use it."

"Are you sure?" Minako asked in surprise.

"...Why not? You and Hotaru are friends, right? Besides...I thought a babysitter's job was never finished."

"You--" She walked up behind her and gave her a playful slap on the back, momentarily breaking Rei's concentration. "She's older now, even old than me in fact. But all right... I think I actually will go help them out. You got everything covered here?"

"Mm..."

"All right, then I'll catch you later, okay?"

"Uh huh..." Rei muttered as the blonde left. As soon as she was gone, she activated her spell; in a blink of an eye, thin, red threads shot outwards from her feet and snaked along the ground to form a circular pattern with Mars's insignia at its center. With a meditative focus, Rei initiated the final sequence and eased the restraints on her powers--her remaining energy spilled out began to flow freely through the marked guidelines. The entire circle illuminated the area, and consequently began to heal the injured within its influence.

"That's a good idea Rei. Here, let me help." She was quickly joined by Ami, who also spread her sphere of influence outward until it overlapped with Rei's. The healing rate of their combined spells jumped significantly.

Up ahead, Minako had reached Usagi and Luna. "Hey!" She shouted, and they both turned their heads at her. "Do you need a hand?"

"Minako? Well, this is a surprise. What are you doing here?" Artemis asked.

As Minako ran up, she saw her 'twin' look up at her with inquiring eyes. After all, why would Minako help her? They hardly knew one another and she had the feeling that the other woman didn't like her that much.

"Well..."

"I thought that we could speed things up a little. If I helped Usagi carry her, then maybe Luna can concentrate on healing her. Here," she walked right up and Luna stepped aside as she enthusiastically took her place at Hotaru's side. When she still saw that look of surprise on Usagi's face, she smiled and said, "Hotaru is a dear friend of mine, so...I'd like to help her in any way I can."

"That's very thoughtful of you." Artemis beamed. "But what about the others...? Do you think they'll be all right without your help?"

"Psh, they'll be fine!" Minako grinned. "Rei has it covered."

Usagi's expression softened at the mention of the name. "I see. Well then, thank you. I appreciate your help Minako."

"It's no problem! No problem at all! But ahh… what about Setsuna? If you don't mind me saying this, she doesn't look too well…"

"Oh, she'll be fine." Artemis smiled. "She just pushed herself a little too hard, but with some rest she'll recover. But just in case, I'll come with you girls and let her rest in the medical ward. It'll be easier for Luna to monitor both patients if they're in one place rather than having her run between floors."

"That's great idea!" Minako agreed. "That way, she won't get tired out!"

Artemis reddened a little and smiled nervously at the praise. _It was nothing, really._

"This is very nice and all, but do I need to remind you that we have patients to treat?" Luna growled. _Are you trying to say that I'm not in shape?_

"N-No ma'am." They all muttered.

As the second group disappeared out of sight, Haruka found herself chuckling to herself. The majority of her bruises and minor cuts were almost entirely healed now.

"So, Rei… What happened to you? It looks like Minako gave you quite the beating!" She laughed.

"If you're so talkative, then why don't you heal yourself?" Rei retorted.

"Hmm…I would if I could. But I've already exhausted all of my energy… so... I sadly, can't. I think Michiru has too." She quickly added.

Rei peered over at the Goddess but Michiru said nothing. The Martian inwardly sighed; she knew that she wouldn't likely hear a thank you from the woman anytime soon, even if she were in dying need of medical aid. Sometimes Rei even wondered why she even bothered thinking about the subject. The way things were between them, Michiru would likely curse her existence until the day she died.

In that instant she heard someone yawn from behind her. Makoto was back up on her feet, fully healed, and stretching out her limbs. "Rrg...Wow, that's a lot better! Thanks a lot you guys! I really needed that."

"It was no problem. I'm just glad that you're feeling better." Ami smiled, but she hadn't broken the spell yet. The remaining portion of her power went into Haruka and Michiru's healing efforts, and soon the blonde woman was healed as well.

"Ahh...there we go!" Haruka stood up and jumped on the spot a few times to emphasize how light her body now felt. "Awesome work you two. You know, you guys really make a great team!"

"Still a flatterer," Rei muttered. The comment made Haruka laugh.

"By the way, Rei, I guess you didn't go full out against Minako after all seeing that you have this much energy."

Rei caught the implication, but with Michiru in the area she didn't had any inclination for share-and-tell.

"You're wrong. We both fought hard. I just have a different fighting style, that's all. Unlike you, I don't blast every shred of my energy impulsively." She smirked.

"… Hahaha...Ouch. Well, I couldn't help it this time," Haruka turned her head away and crossed her arms with a thoughtful expression. "There was a few times where I could've been crushed under some rumble if I didn't react... like Makoto." She saw Makoto's head shoot up. "Apparently Ami outwitted her and sprung this amazing trap. I mean, it's really no wonder why she was all black and blue."

"Hey, you promised you wouldn't tell!" Jupiter protested at the grinning blonde.

"What? But it's not like it was a big secret." _Actually, it was kind of obvious._

"But still!"

The two continued to bicker with one another while Rei finished healing up Michiru. She seemed to uphold her silence even as the last cut was healed without any signs of scarring. Rei had expected as much, but she said nothing of the cold shoulder treatment; instead the Martian concentrated on reeling in her powers, only managing to do so with a few grimaces. While spending time fixing up the others she wasted time to heal herself. The open cuts and scrapes badly stung as they were exposed to the air, and her muscles had become stiff and cramped from the lack of proper attention. However, there was one thing that irritated her more.

Rei peeled the dried blood over her closed eye and wrinkled her nose. For the first time in a long while she grumbled,

_It stinks…_ She couldn't understand how she could ever lust for such stuff, even with her condition in mind.

**Tap.**

Rei violently flinched and whirled around when someone touched her shoulder from behind.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," Ami apologized. "But… I must insist that you sit still while I do this, all right? I will not tolerate any resistance this time. You need to be healed or your injuries may leave you with permanent disabilities."

She had half-expected Rei to shrug her off as she always did, but to her surprise Rei yielded without a fight.

"…All right."

Ami blinked back, dumb struck at what she had just heard. In all of her years knowing the other woman, Rei always, without fail, was strongly opposed to receiving help. Her friend was a strange individual indeed; although she would offer help herself, she was reluctant to receive it.

"All right, I'm starting." Mercury informed her as she released a portion of her power and enveloped her patient

By now Uranus had stopped arguing with the pouting Makoto and eyed her former partner in crime at a distance.

"Hm?"

_Huh...That's weird. Rei is actually sitting quietly for once? When we were kids it'd take all of us to drag her to a doctor or to one of the adults if she ever got hurt. Ahh...the good old days... She would always be kicking, and screaming death threats. It was actually kind of cute, but kinda surprising because she's usually so reserved. _The sight brought a smile to Haruka's face. _She looks so peaceful…_

_...Does this mean...that you've already told her, Rei?_

(Medical Ward, Minako)

Minako had just finished helping Artemis tuck Setsuna into one of the nearby beds while, behind them, Luna and Usagi were busying themselves with Hotaru. As a result of Minako's efforts, Luna was able to perform a good chunk of the treatment during the walk back. Hotaru was already looking better, but it would still be some effort yet before they could truly relax.

For the longest time Usagi's gaze remained transfixed on her sister, never realizing that she had a small audience whose gazes were, in turn, fixed on her. Minako eyed her, and was unconsciously analyzing her mannerisms: How her hands remained stiff in her lap, how they shook ever so slightly, how her breathing had became shallow, and how her eyes would dart between the closing wound and Hotaru's face. The expression on her face, she must have really thought that her sister was on her deathbed. It was stirring up some unpleasant memories for the Venusian.

_They're sisters, aren't they? Hotaru is all the family she has left. So, if she ever lost her..._

Despite her earlier bouts of resentment and jealously that she harboured against the Moon Princess, Minako walked over and patted her right on the shoulder.

"Hey, she'll be all right." She watched Usagi nod almost mechanically. "I mean, Hotaru has been through a lot of stuff worse than this. She's strong, and I'm sure that Luna is a great healer too. So, don't you worry! After she's all better, you'll both probably look back on this someday and laugh."

Looking at Minako's beaming face, Usagi couldn't help but smile as well. "...Perhaps. She is strong, isn't she?"

"Very."

"You know... I haven't told anybody this, but when we were little, we made a promise that we'd always be there for each other no matter what. She said she'd always be there for me. And I..." Her hands slightly tensed in her lap. "...I did this to her..."

The words reminded Minako of her own guilt after finding out about what had happened on Venus. She knew what it was like to nearly kill someone that you loved.

"...But it wasn't your fault. Sometimes, these things just happen."

Usagi shook her head. "I should have been more careful." _For some reason, she didn't try to avoid my attack. She said that she couldn't, so...did something go wrong?_ "There was probably another way, but I... I was so wrapped up with myself that maybe I didn't notice."

Even Minako wasn't sure what to say to that.

"That's enough, Usagi."

"Luna?"

She saw Usagi look at her with her teary, blue eyes. "The purpose of the exercise was to teach all of you that these things are very possible in war. The moment you step onto the battlefield, you risk losing everything and everyone that you hold dear. Even Lady Hotaru...as powerful as she is, is no exception to this. That... is what she was trying to teach you."

Usagi's eyes widened. "You mean she did all of that on purpose?"

"Knowing Hotaru, I wouldn't put it past her. She's not the type of person to do things half-heartedly." Artemis added.

_So then..._

Without warning Usagi sudden stood up from the bedside seat, and turned around and clasped Minako's hands.

"Minako."

"Uhh...Y-Yes...?" She wasn't sure what to make of the determination in the girl's eyes.

"Thank you again for all of your help. I really did, appreciate it."

"Oh! Sure, like I said, it was no problem at all. Ahahaha..."

She continued to watch in surprise as the Moon Princess cross the floor over to Setsuna's bedside.

_Is it just me, or does the air around her suddenly feel... different?_

In Usagi's mind, everything from her previous duel with Hotaru was flashing back through the various stages: How Hotaru coldly stared her down, how she pointed a blade at her. The images kept flowing forward, highlighting the few moments where they clashed, where they purposely tried to hurt one another, and where they had nearly succeeded. One by one the injuries added up until Usagi narrowly evaded re-living the accident that nearly stole her only family away from her.

_I want you, to become the Queen, and I... let me become your shadow."_

_You went that far just to tell me something like that? _

Her blue eyes glanced at her sister's unconscious form, and then back over to her guardian. Setsuna looked very weary, but on willpower alone she managed to maintain her focus on her surroundings-- in this case, Usagi. Her crimson eyes silently observed her charge expectantly as she patiently waited to hear what she would say.

"Setsuna…" Usagi felt the urge to fumble her hands nervously, but she beat it back down. A bad habit she mentally noted. "…We… I mean, Hotaru and I have come to an agreement."

Behind the Moon Princess, Minako and Luna's ears perked up. Even Artemis was intrigued.

_They made an agreement? _Minako wondered. _But...I don't remember __Hotaru mentioning anything about an agreement when we were studying together… In fact, now that I think about it, Hotaru doesn't really talk about herself, does she? Did she and Usagi...have an argument?_

"We have decided, for now, that I will be the one who will ascend the throne."

"The throne?!" Everyone yelled.

"I see…" Setsuna muttered. But Usagi wasn't fooled; there was little doubt in her mind that the woman had predicted this to happen.

"However…There is a request that I would like to make."

"A request?"

"Mm. Everyone has been working very hard lately... and today we have all made considerable progress. Therefore, I would like to propose that we give our guests the evening off and to hold a ballroom dance. Just like the old times."

Setsuna stared long and hard at the to-be ruler.

_...I see. You would like to have one last night of being a normal princess._

"I understand. Permission is granted." Setsuna finally said. "However, in my current condition and as Luna is occupied with monitoring Lady Hotaru, you will need to ask Artemis if he would be willing to take up the preparations."

"I'll do it. No need to ask." He grinned. Artemis had already braced himself for the usual 'thank you' squeal and hug from the young woman, but to his amazement Usagi hadn't budged from her spot. She looked at him with blue eyes swimming with emotion, but she made no movement to clarify what was going through her mind.

"What, I don't get a hug?"

Usagi slowly stood up and purposefully walked across the room to where he stood. She waited before her long-time friend for awhile, thinking quietly, before she finally stepped forward and gave him a big hug. Once his strong arms gently embraced her back and steadied her, she broke down and cried.

"Shhhhh…shhhhhh…" He comforted her.

_It must be hard… going through something like that. _Minako thought to herself. The sight almost made her want to cry herself. _Realizing that you're going to become a ruler of a planet, that you're going to rule over countless lives and have millions of people looking up to you for protection and guidance… _

…_it's hard. _

_I thought that would be hard enough… but, what does Usagi have? Her people are already…_

"Minako, will you please inform the girls of our plans when you see them?" Luna quietly requested. Usagi's sobs still hadn't faltered in their strength in the background.

"Yes, of course. I was just about to head back anyway."

"Thank you."

"Mm." She nodded.

The Venusian paused at the doorway and took one last look at Usagi before she left the room.

…_Will I be like that…_

………………………………_.when it hits me too?_

(Palace room, Rei)

"Whew."

Rei plopped down onto her bed and sighed deeply into the sheets. It was a relief, much to her surprise, to be back in this sort of place. It smelled… nice. She inhaled deeply before she angled her head until she could see the fragment of blue sky beyond the solitary room window. For some reason, today, her stomach was filled with butterflies.

_I feel... strange. _

Calm and peaceful, the two words drifted to mind.

Rei pushed herself up to sit, never once losing sight of that patch of sky. Her current emotions perplexed her.

_I never thought that I would ever feel this way. I never really noticed these things before…_

_The sky, the wind, and the silence… were always indicators of the conditions of battle to me. If there were dark clouds, there would be bad weather. If there was a foul smell in the wind, there was war. If there was silence… you were either dead or barely alive. _

_But, when I look at all these things now… I realize that they can be comfortable._

_It's kind of nice._

Rei never realized the goofy smile that crept onto her face. She was too caught up within her own little world that she barely noticed that someone was knocking on the door.

_**Click.**_**  
**_**Creeeeeak.**_

"I'd be careful if I were you. If you sigh like that anymore you might get light headed."

"Mina!"

The blonde leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed. Her blue eyes twinkled, silently laughing at her friend's unusually enthusiastic reaction.

"Who else would it be? Or were you expecting someone else?"

"Well… no. I, umm… so, how are Setsuna and Hotaru?"

Minako raised an eyebrow at the sudden change of subject. "They're doing all right. Luna was tending to Hotaru when I left and Setsuna was just getting some rest."

"Oh. I see…"

"Some… other things came up while I was there too. Apparently, Usagi is going to inherit the Moon Kingdom's throne."

Rei blinked back at her with an expression of mixed confusion and surprise. "…Really? But…"

"I know, I know, I thought about it too. But unfortunately... there's really nothing we can do about it. We can't bring her people back. No one has that kind of power."

"It must be tough for her…"

The thoughtful expression on Rei's face made the corners of Minako's mouth twitch. A part of her felt sympathy for Usagi, as contradictory as it may be for a person to feel towards their rival, but another part of her felt...

"You know, Usagi and me aren't really all that different." The statement had perked Rei's interest. "Not just in appearance. We both lost loved ones because of this silly war… and now we're both slated to become rulers before our time. But… she doesn't have anyone left to protect. All she has is an empty kingdom, a few friends, and her sister. But don't get me wrong, it's not a bad thing. It's just...I have so much more than she does... And in a way, it's making me feel guilty. Goddess, Rei... she was crying down there! She was really crying…"

_I almost wanted to cry too._

"Minako...?"

"You know...she really likes you."

"Minako, wait. Why are you telling me all of this?"

Minako couldn't take it anymore. Before Rei knew what was happening, the blonde came straight at her. She instinctively tried to back away on the bed but Minako jumped on top of her and pinned her with the sheer leverage of her body, holding her wrists above her head. A full blown blush was on Rei's face. She thought that she would have fainted in shock if it weren't for the serious expression on the Venusian's face.

Rei started to panic when Minako began to lean down.

_Oh no. Oh no, no, no, no---!!_

"M-Mina--" Her words were abruptly cut off by a searing kiss. Rei's mind instantly went blank. By the time she remembered that she should be reciprocating, Minako suddenly pulled back and left her looking back in confusion.

"That." She said, further confusing the Martian. "Do you remember when I told you that it was a Venusian custom? Well... I kinda lied."

Rei's heart skipped a beat. _...What?_

"But when I said that was meant only for you... I meant it. I'm not going to pressure you Rei. I'm not going to tell you what to do. I can't, because this is about how _you _feel. You aren't just a soldier who follows order. You're a person, just like the rest of us. You're...my best friend..."

The word made her heart ache.

_Even if it would make Usagi happy, I can't just give Rei to her. Because… that isn't how love works. It's really up to Rei._

She couldn't get the image of Rei pulling Usagi into her room that one late night.

"Umm...W-Well, you're my best friend too."

"...Yeah, I know." Minako smiled back. _But...I want us to be more than friends. _Instead of elaborating, she got off of her and walked back over to the doorway. "Anyway, I was supposed to tell everyone that we've been given the evening off. Usagi is going to be hosting a dance tonight, so she would like everyone to come. You'll be going, right?"

"A dance? Hmm... I'm actually not very good with those things. I think I'll pass."

"I'll be there." She saw Rei tense. "And Usagi will be there too."

In the back of her mind, she knew what she was doing was wrong. But before she could stop herself, she thought:

_...Hey, you know..._

"I love you."

_What?! _The whisper was so quiet that Rei barely caught it.

"…Umm...Did you... just say something just now?"

"Hm? Oh! Oh my goddess, I need to go tell everyone else about the dance! It's getting late. Will you just look at the sky? I'll see you later, okay?"

"Mina--!"

"See you at the dance!" She winked and rushed out before Rei could say another word. She had left so fast that Rei had only taken one step towards the doorframe before she was gone. Her hand, which had been reaching out, limply fell back to her side.

_She's gone... But, what was she just saying?_

The Martian was left with the difficult task of digesting all of the information that Minako hurriedly threw at her. It was all kind of overwhelming.

_So...there was no custom? Then, when she kissed me back on Neptune... and all of those others times--!! _It was all starting to sink in, and it was making Rei's stomach do flip-flops. _No way. There's no way she could actually..._

She closed her eyes for a second and pondered to herself for a moment. When she opened them again, there was determined expression in her dark eyes.

"So...there's going to be a dance tonight, huh?"

(Later that afternoon)

Sometime later the room had been transformed into a state of complete disarray; the drawers were wide thrown wide-open, garments were messily hanging over their sides, and the floor was littered with a combination of clothing, armor, and various trinkets of sorts. It looked as though the place had been hit by a tornado; a tornado named Rei.

Rei was sitting in the center of the room with a frown upon her lips. The woman's brows were furrowed in deep concentration as she sat crossed legged atop a mountain of garments. It was taking every bit of her will power not to drum her fingers on her lap with impatience.

"A dance." She repeated to herself for the umpteenth time within the last few hours. "Why a DANCE of all things! Argh!"

Rei crossed her arms and leaned back against the bed, taking this moment to stare up at the ceiling.

_Not to mention that I can't dance at all…_ She groaned. _This is going to be embarrassing! __But…Mina said that she was going to be there. Everyone's going to be there._

_I know what I want to say, but..._

"The question is... what should I wear?"

With a sigh, the Martian pushed herself up for a better look of the place. She placed her hands on her hips, and scanned the piles of mess with a glare that was especially reserved for disobedient soldiers. To her, this was a challenge like none other. Every second she wasted staring at the garments was another second of damage her already bruised pride.

_I could always show up in..._

She looked to her default choice and eyed the scattered pieces of armor. But somehow, the suit didn't fit in with the image of luxurious ball setting. That and the prospect of being teased mercilessly didn't quite appeal to her.

_On second thought, maybe not. _

Rei stumbled over to the closet on the other side of the room and nearly tripped several times in the process. It was a miracle that she reached the door unharmed, but she took her victories in stride. As she opened the door and began to ruffle through the clothes inside, a string of curses continued to form within her mind: Her main problem was that she hadn't done this in awhile.

_This is ridiculous, a dance of all things! Why, the last time that I've been to one was... was..._

Rei stopped in her search, and lowered the shirt in her hands. She supposed it should have been a happy memory, but now it only brought her pain.

_Dancing and all that... The only times that I ever got to do something like that was when we all met up every year. It was a common thing to do at the parties... but I can't say that I was very good at it. The only ones who could actually dance were Ami and Michiru. They were usually the first ones out on the dance floor. While they were out there having fun, the rest of us just watched from the sidelines. Well, that was until Michiru or Ami coaxed one of us out onto the floor with them._

_I've always hated dancing, so… I was usually the last one left on the sidelines. Actually, to be honest, I never learned how to do it...so... I never wanted to try. I thought I'd look stupid._

_Lady Neptune, Michiru's mother, once tried to teach me though. _

**. . . **

"_Would you like to give it a try?" _

_The familiar, kind voice drew the young heir of Mars's attention up to the gentle face that addressed her. _

"_You mean dancing?" Briefly the girl's eyes darted towards the dance floor. All of the adults were out there enjoying themselves. Whether it be dancing or drinking together, there were smiles wherever she looked. But happiness wasn't solely monopolized by the grown-ups. A short distance ahead of her the other heirs were experimenting with the unfamiliar rhythms and steps. Although Haruka and Makoto were inexperienced dangers, they were still enjoying themselves. Everyone seemed to be having a good time except her._

"_I can't dance," She finally mumbled. _

"_But it doesn't mean that you can't learn."_

"_No!" It had come out more forcefully than she had intended it to. "I-I mean, it's just... I know I can't, okay? I don't like it anyway." _

_The Goddess smiled. "That's really too bad."_

"_Huh?"_

"_I was really hoping to dance, but... it's not as enjoyable without a partner. And it appears that everyone else is already taken." She then offered out her hand to the young girl. "I know that you don't enjoy doing it, but... do you think you can do me this one favour? Would you do me the honour and be my dance partner?"_

_Against Rei's better judgement, she reached out and clasped that hand. She allowed herself to be guided out onto the dance floor, into the lights and away from the darkened sidelines. Yet as the twinge of loneliness shrunk inside her tiny body, the awkwardness exponentially grew. Some turned their eyes in her direction, staring at her with curious expressions. Even her mentor, the God of War took mild interest in his heir's unusual behaviour. _

_Once Neptune found them a place on the floor, she began to explain the basic hand positions for common dances. Following that there was a period of awkwardness as Rei fumbled with the new information, but in almost no time at all they were practicing for real._

"_So...__What do you think of it so far?" Neptune asked her. _

"_Well, to be honest...__I still don't really see what's so great about it."_

_The comment brought a smile to Neptune's face. She noticed that the child's eyes were fixated on the couples on the dance floor. _

"_They are with someone important to them."_

"_What?"_

"_Dancing can be very enjoyable when one dances with someone precious to them. To stare into the eyes of the one you love, together swaying to the music... There is an inexplicable connection that binds both partners together in that single moment."_

"_Then... why aren't you dancing with them? Why aren't you dancing with your special person instead of me?" She asked her suspiciously._

_The Goddess continued to smile yet, to the Martian's eyes, Rei wondered if she had really imagined that flicker of sadness behind it._

"_That's... for another day, I think."_

"…"

"_You are still very young, so there is no need to rush. But __I believe… that someday, when you have found that special person you will understand what I am talking about. There are very few joys that are greater in life."_

"_Really...? I don't know about that. Ares seems pretty happy with just fighting."_

"_He is simply being stubborn." The woman giggled. _

"_?"_

"_Listen, Rei… during your lifetime you may never encounter the curse of being a God. If you are fortunate, you may be spared of the cruel life that comes with our kind."_

"_What do you mean? What's so bad about being a God?"_

"_Your time is not frozen." She paused for a moment and placed both hands on the shorter girl's shoulders. "Finding one's love may give a person great joy. However, if one is a God and the other is not, there is also no greater pain than to watch the one you love grow old and die."_

"_But, __because I'm still human…" Rei's gaze fell to the floor._

"_Trust me, young one. __You are fine the way you are."_

"_Rei! Whatcha doing over there?! We're going to go outside and play! Come on!" Haruka shouted across the room._

"_They are calling you." Neptune released the heir of Mars and stepped back. Hesitantly the girl glanced between the two parties, wondering if this was really all right._

"_Go on." The ruler urged. As she watched the child sped off towards her group of friends, Neptune whispered under her breath,_

"_...I believe in you…"_

**. . . **

"_...__I believe in you…"_

Rei's head shot up when she thought she felt a cold chill. She glanced around the room with a puzzled expression, but there was no one there. Breathing a little heavily, she allowed her gaze to linger a few seconds longer.

_That's strange...for a second there, I thought..._

"No, get a hold of yourself. You can't let yourself be distracted now! Time's running out." After another minute of shuffling through the assorted pile she threw her arms up in exasperation. "It's no use! I just don't have anything suitable! Most of this stuff is training wear..."

Rei stared at the bare clothes racks and found the situation growing hopeless by the second. The sun was beginning to set outside, indicating that the party may begin soon.

"Ahh… Well, I guess I have no choice. I'll just have to throw something on and hope for the best. Anything would be better than going in _that_," she eyed the pieces of armor on the floor. For some reason, the sight of it was really getting on her nerves.

Without thinking Rei walked over to the crimson, metallic pieces, picked them up and dumped them within the closet. After she had finished the deed, she heard someone knock at the door.

_**Rap. Rap.**_

"Rei?! It's Haruka! We were just going down to the ballroom but I wanted to check up on you first. Are you ready yet?"

"Haruka?" She ran over to the door. "Hey, what are you wearing right now?"

"?" There was a silence from the other side of the door. "Just… stuff."

"Is it a dress?"

"…"

"Haruka…"

"Okay! Okay!" Rei backed up just as the wind ruler barged in and slammed the door shut behind her. "Yes. It's. A. Dress! Do you have a problem with that?!"

Rei nearly snorted. She had never seen her friend in such garments before. It was a one piece, golden dress that reached down to the floor. The top of it revealed quite a bit of Haruka's shoulders, while down at her legs there seemed to be a small, forced rip that showed a peek of the woman's ankles on either side. If that wasn't bad enough, the blonde wore a thin, partially transparent scarf around her neck. It was pushing Haruka's childhood friend to her limits; Rei feared that she was going to burst if she didn't laugh soon.

"Don't laugh!"

"I-I'm not. ...Really!" She allowed herself to snicker.

"Humph. I'd wear a tux, but Michiru didn't have any on her. Or that what's she says anyway. Now that I think about it though, she probably just wanted to dress me up! Damn her!" The blonde frowned and punched the air. "Anyway... What about you? You aren't going in that are you?"

"No. Of course not," Rei lied. Although it actually had been on her plan of possible outfits, it wasn't anymore. "Actually, to be honest...I don't know what to wear. I didn't expect anything like this to happen, I mean being in a war and all... The only clothes I've got on me are my training wear and, well... my armor, but I don't think that counts."

"Hmm… I know the feeling. I was having the exact same problem, but now, because of that, I'm stuck in THIS! I swear! I love her to death, but Michiru's crazy! She's almost always prepared for EVERYTHING." Haruka took enough time to pause in her rant when a light-bulb went off in her head. "Hey, you know… I'm sure she could lend you something too. She has a ton of clothes like you wouldn't believe."

"Ask Michiru? I think I'll pass." The Martian crossed her arms stubbornly.

"Okay, then I'll ask for you."

Rei went red in the face. "No!"

"It'll be fiiiiiiiine. I'll lay on the charm and she won't be able to refuse!" She winked. "But if she has a tux... first dibs!"

"H-Haruka, wait a minute. Really it's all ri--"

_**Slam!**_

But it was too late; Haruka was already out the door.

To Rei's surprise, not more than ten minutes later the woman returned… alive. The shorthaired blonde was slightly out of breath, but the Martian let it pass; she didn't want to know what sort of charm the flatterer attempted to pull. Putting the issue aside, the package in Haruka's hand piqued her curiosity much more.

"Here. Just like I said. No problem... whatsoever, wheeeew." She handed the package over to her bewildered friend.

_Can I even trust this thing? _Rei was almost afraid of opening it.

"Anyway, put it on and then come on down! I'm sure most of us are already down there. Catcha later!"

The door shut behind the blonde tornado as she left, thus again leaving Rei alone once again. She sighed quietly to herself before she began to fiddle around with opening the box.

_Well, I guess that's that. There's really no point in putting it off-- it's not like the contents will change._

_**Whup…**_

The box lid came flying off. She wasn't sure what to make of it.

"I have to wear this?"

(Ballroom)

Makoto, Ami, Michiru and Haruka were the first guests to enjoy the lavishly prepared ballroom. While Ami and Makoto chatted together on the dance floor, Michiru and Haruka remained by the food table where Uranus insisted on stuffing herself.

"Did you give her the package?"

Michiru resisted the urge to fall back onto her old habits and scold her partner for her lack of manners. The past reaction was continually being fuelled now that a certain someone had found the cookie plate.

"Of cousff--"

"Haruka, please swallow first and then speak. It is difficult to hear you otherwise."

_**Gulp.**_

"Sorry about that. I was just so hungry that I forgot myself." She apologized. "Not to mention that this food is so good too! Ahhh...!!! I could stay here all night!"

"…"

_**Stare.**_

"…Uhh… yes, I did give it to her."

"I see."

"Why are you so curious anyway? You didn't tamper with it or something did you?"

"Of course not! Honestly Haruka, what do you--"

"Oh. Speaking of the devil..."

"Hm?"

From the near side of the room, Rei approached the two gossiping women with an air of annoyance. The outfit she wore consisted of a black, spaghetti strapped shirt and a black skirt; the shirt showed off a good portion of the delicate, pale skin about her neck and shoulders. Whereas the skirt, though it reached down to the floor, naturally parted open on one side and showed off the woman's long, slender legs. All of Rei's natural curves, much like Haruka's, that were normally hidden by the armor were now out in plain sight. The spectacle nearly made Haruka's eyes bulge in disbelief.

"Ow! My eyes!" She feigned dramatically. "So. Much. Skin! What have you done to the real Rei?!"

"I could say the same for you." Rei retorted. She then looked to Michiru, who currently seemed to be critiquing her sense of fashion for the other woman.

"I suppose it will do." She finally concluded.

"Well, I wasn't sure what to think when I first saw it." _Or whether to trust it or not, but she doesn't have to know that. _"But… T-Thanks, Michiru."

"Think nothing of it. I was… merely paying off a debt."

Between the pair Haruka had resumed assaulting the sweets plates, blissfully oblivious to the mild tension between her friends.

"Hey, Rei! Looking good!" Makoto and Ami now made their way over to the trio.

"Yes, it really suits you." Ami agreed.

"Umm… thanks."

"She should wear stuff… like thad mour offen."

"Haruka…"

"Sorry."

"By the way, has anyone seen Minako?" Rei questioned. "She said she was going to come, but it doesn't look like she's here."

"Oh, she didn't come down with you?" Haruka asked. "Yeah, 'cause we knocked on her door earlier and she said she'd be down asap."

"She did?" _Then __what's taking her so long? _It must have been written all over her face because Haruka then said,

"Aww… don't worry, she'll come down before you know it. In the meantime, why don't we get this party started? It's a bit dull, don't you think?"

Michiru returned the sparkling grin with a suspicious look.

"What are you up to?"

"You'll see!" The blonde laughed. "Hey, Artemis! Could we borrow a few things?"

(Another hour later, Usagi)

The to-be ruler slowly made her way down a series of corridors towards the ballroom, outfitted with her favorite dress and usual hairstyle. Though she was sure that the dance, the event that she was supposed to be hosting this instant, had already started, her thoughts were not preoccupied with the excuses and explanations for her tardiness that she would be expected to dish out to her guests. Instead the woman fretted with questions of personal matters. Her appearance, did she look beautiful? She fiddled with a free strand of her hair. Her dress-- it didn't make her look fat, did it? Everything that could go wrong, no matter how unlikely crossed her mind. The stress was beginning to make her feel awfully sick.

_Should I ask her? But what if she says 'no'? _She pondered. Rei didn't seem like the type to attend those kinds of social gatherings.

_Will she even go?_

As Usagi neared her destination the music in the background grew in intensity. However, it they style wasn't what she had been expecting to hear. The beat was unfamiliar and different, but it was refreshing somehow. The distinct music of the violin and the piano rang throughout the corridor now.

**Tup…tup…tup…**

Usagi's breath was caught in her throat upon reaching the lively area. To her amazement, the air was filled with golden spheres of light. They moved through the air with smooth, fluid movements; one in particular touched her bare arm, prompting her to flinch back as it passed right through her. Where it had touch, there was some strange but not unwelcome warmth lingering there.

A little calmer, Usagi then peered around the room. Within the mass of floating energy up ahead, Ami and Makoto were dancing with one another. To the side of the two women were Neptune and Uranus. To her delight the pair of Goddesses was the ones who were creating the beautiful melody. Unconsciously, she blushed upon seeing the perfect couple interacting so harmoniously; it wasn't solely due to their perfect synching of instruments or their physical beauty that caused her heart race. What she admired, was their closeness. How they would share brief glances between the notes with deep affection, how sincere their smiles were to one another. What she envied, was their love. She was so distracted that she hardly noticed that it was Uranus's aura that was multiplying the golden spheres of light.

Usagi's mind was beckoned back to reality when she sensed another restless presence nearby. She turned her head to see a familiar figure standing along the wall directly across from her.

_...Rei? _

Usagi almost didn't recognize the beautiful woman standing amongst the lights.

Rei's outfit was a major factor, yet it was exactly that type of change that nearly brought Usagi to mistake her teammate for an entirely different individual altogether. She was simply so stunning that any stranger would have surely thought of her as Goddess descent. But upon closer inspection, the irritated expression that the Martian wore confirmed Usagi's suspicions of who this familiar stranger was; only Rei had such an ability to hold a frown like that.

The blonde felt a lump starting to form in her throat. Rei was alone. She was naturally drawn to her and before she knew it, she was already crossing the floor.

Rei on the other hand hadn't noticed the new presence nearing her location. Perhaps the music was counteracting against her acute sense of hearing, or Haruka's power was causing interference in her detection ability, or perhaps the culprit was the Martian herself. A certain absence became the obsession of her attention.

Minako still hasn't shown up.

_Honestly, where is she? Minako said that she was going come but the dance has already started a long time ago. _ _Could something have happened to her? _There was a thought. _Maybe I better go and check up on her...just to see if she's okay._

Absent-mindedly Rei whirled around and nearly knocked Usagi over in the process.

"Oh!"

"!" Rei staggered back, thoroughly startled. But she relaxed her stance once she recognized the poor soul that she nearly flattened by her thoughtless actions. "Usagi?! I-I didn't mean to… I didn't see you! Are you all right? You aren't hurt are you?"

"_You know...she really likes you."_Minako's words resounded in the Martian's mind.

With curious observation, Rei steadily stared down at the timid individual before her. Now that she thought about it, the Moon Princess had been acting peculiarly lately. She had thought that Usagi was a lot like Minako, in the sense that they were both naturally out-going, but the blonde in front of her was definitely blushing and looking nervous about something. Could it really be because of her?

She hardly noticed that Usagi was saying something.

"No, it was my fault. Umm...Were you going somewhere?" She questioned in a soft voice. Her entire face was red now. "I-I didn't mean to startle you like that. I should have paid more attention too."

Rei felt a lump form in her throat.

"If-- If you aren't busy… or mind, I mean, it would be really nice if, if you would…" Usagi broke eye contact briefly, before gathering the courage to ask,

"Will you… dance with me?"

"…Usagi..."

She was taken aback by Rei's softened expression. Something was wrong. Unable to speak or move, Usagi felt her hands taken by the other woman and watched with baited breath as she stepped forward and leaned down. The music in the background hit a forte section, the volume continuing to rise even as Rei's lips came to stop beside the blonde's ear.

Her lips began to move.

The seconds passed by. One second… two… The invisible clock of time adamantly marched onwards, acting as both the observer and recorder, encasing this moment within the never-ending timeline.

…Twelve… thirteen… Tears began to blur Usagi's vision. She blinks, and the tears are set free.

…Nineteen…twenty.

The Martian's lips lastly whispered three syllables.

Rei then pulled away and left through the exit, leaving Usagi behind and stunned; she stood there, completely paralyzed.

Another tear fell.

(Minako's room, Rei)

_**Knock, knock.**_

Minako's room was dim, and was lighted only by the single desk-lamp on her desk. In her nightclothes, Minako angled her head from her desk and stared at the door. She hadn't imagined the sound, had she?

"Who is it?"

_**Click.**_**  
**_**Creeeeeak.**_

Her blue eyes widened a little when the unexpected visitor revealed herself.

"Hey." Rei greeted. She bashfully entered the room, extremely self-conscious of her unusual appearance.

"…Rei? Is that really you? You look… great! I mean, wow. So, w-what are you doing here?" Minako turned around in her chair and stood up, spacing herself away from her desk. There was a hint of hesitation in her eyes.

"What do you mean, 'what are you doing here'?" The Martian huffed. She crossed her arms over her chest in irritation and stared the Venusian straight in the eye. "You said you'd be at the dance. So why aren't you?"

Rei eyed her nightwear, and had to blink. Minako was wearing a white, short-sleeved shirt and a pair of yellow pajama pants with a heart pattern on them.

_Are those...hearts?_

Minako didn't seem to notice that she was being stared at. She seemed to be too preoccupied with her own thoughts.

"Oh...well, I was studying."

"Studying?" Rei arched an eyebrow. "Are you really trying to tell me that you prefer studying over dancing? You seemed pretty worked up about it earlier."

"Well, maybe I decided not to go after all! Besides... why aren't you there?"

"Well, obviously I was worried because a certain someone didn't show up like they said they would."

"So you came to check up on me?" There was disappointment underlying her tone. "Thanks, but I'm fine. You can go back now."

Rei narrowed her eyes. "I'm not going back."

"What? But what about Usagi?"

"Usagi...?" Rei sighed in exasperation. There it was again. "What does this have to do with her? Why do you keep bringing her up?!"

"Well, you guys have been hanging out so much lately, so why wouldn't I?"

"Goddess Minako! The way you're talking, you almost make it sound like you're jealous!"

There was a heavy silence between the women as the word seemed to hang in the air. Minako had gone pale, and Rei returned the stunned expression in disbelief.

"...Wait. You aren't, are you?"

Minako turned away. She didn't want Rei to see the pained expression on her face. "So what if I was?"

"But...why would you be jealous of Usagi? We only started hanging out more because you started avoiding me. Speaking of which, why _were _you avoiding me?"

Minako mumbled something but Rei didn't quite catch it.

"What?"

She seemed to take a deep breath. "I said...it was because I thought that there was something going on between you two, okay?" She caught Rei's 'huh?' expression and was starting to get angry again. "When I went to get you for Setsuna's meeting, you two were practically in each other's arms, not to mention later that night when you were seeing each other!"

"Wait, what night? Before what meeting? The one after you all arrived?" She noticed that the blonde had fallen silent. It suddenly dawned on her what Minako was referring to. "Are you talking about...?" She shook her head. "Goddess, Minako. Is that what you thought it was? I don't even like Usagi! I mean, she's nice, but she's just a friend."

Minako slowly turned around. "...Really?"

"...Yeah. To be honest, I had only met Usagi a few seconds before you did. I was trying to get up and she thought it would be bad for my wounds, so we accidentally...fell like that. And that's when you came in. I don't know why you thought we were like _that, _but it wasn't like _that_ at all."

"But what about later...? Why was she at your door so late at night? And then you pulled her into your room!"

Rei tilted her head at the comment. "She had my medicine. And I wanted it back." The answer seemed to catch Minako off guard.

"But why did she...?"

"Look, that doesn't matter. What I want to know is... if it bothered you then why didn't you come and talk to me about it? We're friends, aren't we?"

"...I did try. But if I recall, you ran away from me."

This time, it was Rei's turn to look surprised. She had nearly forgotten about that. _So that's what she wanted to talk about..._

"I admit that was my fault... I apologize. But that still doesn't explain a few things. When you told me today that there was no Venusian custom about kissing friends... did you mean it?"

Minako walked over to the terrace and stopped in front of its closed doors. She touched the cool glass and carefully eyed Rei's reflection.

"...Yeah. I like you...all right? I've liked you for awhile now..."

"If that's true, then why didn't you just tell me? Why did you go through the trouble of making up such an excuse? I really trusted you."

It hurt to hear those words, but Minako should have known it would have come to this. The moment she told her the truth, Rei was going to hate her.

"I know it was wrong...but at the time, I didn't know what else to do. If you're angry with me, I completely understand."

For awhile, Rei was silent. Minako took it that the Martian was indeed upset with her.

"If that's all you wanted to talk about, then could you please leave? I think I'd like to be left alone for awhile..."

Minako was startled when she saw Rei's reflection coming closer. She turned on the spot to ask what she was doing, but she quickly found herself face to face with the Martian.

"Rei...?" She felt the other woman gently clasp her hands. Why was there such a serious expression in her eyes?

"Mina." The way she said her name made the blonde shudder. "There's...something that I've been meaning to tell you for some time now."

_Oh no... Now she's going to tell me that she hates me!_

Rei gave her hands a light squeeze. "A lot of stuff has happened ever since we left Mars. There were a lot of hard times...and for awhile, I wasn't sure whether to trust you or not. Like, on Neptune... you really surprised me. For awhile, I wasn't sure what to do. And then, when you started avoiding me... it really hurt." Minako tried to turn her head away, but Rei lifted one hand to her face and urged her not to look away. "But despite all of that, you became one of the closest friends that I ever had. Minako... Even though we're friends, I..."

_...What?_

"I think I like you."

Minako was stunned. There was no way she could have heard that, but her heart was already racing in her chest.

Rei was really blushing now.

"I don't know if it's l-love...but I know I do know that like you as more than a friend. You don't think it's weird, do you...?"

Minako brought her own hands up and placed them on Rei's arms. "No, but...please don't get mad at me, but I have to know. What about Usagi? You know that she likes you."

A mixed expression washed over Rei's face.

"I think she'll be all right."

"You mean you…?"

(Ballroom, Usagi)

Usagi wiped away the tears from her eyes, and a small smile found its way to her face. There was calm reflecting in her eyes as she peered up to the ceiling, eyeing a certain spot as though there were an invisible presence watching over her.

…_I understand…_

"Usagi, are you feeling all right?" Makoto asked as she touched her shoulder. "You look a bit pale…"

"Oh. Perhaps I am still tired from today's exercise. I haven't gotten much sleep lately. But don't worry, I'm fine… I'll… be fine. If you would please excuse me, I would like to go and check up on Hotaru. Please continue to enjoy yourselves."

She curtsied and then exited the room.

(Minako's room, Rei)

They both looked into each other's eyes, neither of them daring to look away. As Rei began to lean in, she thought her heart was about to burst from happiness. If this was a dream, then it felt too real.

Rei's lips were a few inches away when she suddenly hesitated. Minako held her breath; had she changed her mind?

Rei shyly met her gaze. "Is this...all right?"

Slowly, a smile made its way to Minako's face. She giggled and wrapped her arms around Rei's neck, pulling the woman closer. "Mhmm..." She nodded.

This time, their lips met in a gentle kiss. It was warm and almost shy, not the same, frantic ones they've shared in the past. Minako thought she had died and gone to heaven; the tenderness that Rei was showing her went beyond anything she had ever imagined.

When the kiss finally came to an end, both of them found each other's eye and saw that the other was blushing terribly. It had been their first, real kiss. They both broke down into giggles at the thought.

"It sure took us awhile, huh?" Minako asked.

"...Yeah." Rei smiled. "...But, what do we do now?"

There was a thoughtful expression on Minako's face. Why was she looking at her like that? Without a word, the Venusian stood up and grabbed the door handles of the terrace doors.

"Minako?"

_**Click—WooooOOOSSSH!**_

The moment the doors were opened, a gust of wind instantly blew into the room. Rei's breath caught in her throat at the sight; despite her attire, Minako really did look like a Goddess. As she stood in the doorway, her long, golden hair waved in the wind and her backside was framed by a perfect starry night.

"C'mon."

"?" Confused amethyst eyes peered up at the offered hand.

"Would you like to dance?" She smiled back. "Because of me, you're missing out on the party."

"But I—I can't dance very well." Rei mouthed.

"But if you don't try, then you can't get better, right?"

"_But it doesn't mean that you can't learn."_

Rei eyed the outstretched hand again. Finally, she reached out to take it and her partner smiled. The Martian was brought to her feet and then was slowly guided outside to the terrace. The transition was like day to night; the room had been considerably dimmer in comparison to the star filled night sky illuminating the terrace.

"I'm warning you, I don't know a lot of steps. So I might be a little bit clumsy for awhile…"

"I don't think it will be a problem."

"Huh?"

"Not for this type of dance anyway."

Vaguely Rei could hear the soft music drifting up from the ballroom below. She was away from the curious stares, away from shadows, gone from the blaring music and the golden spheres of light. Instead, she was here with Minako under the starry sky. Her heart was here.

Minako stepped forward and embraced her partner, encircling her arms around the hesitant woman. For a split-second, Rei was unsure of what to do. What was Minako doing? She remained still until Minako began to guide her body into a series of slow steps, each never moving far from where they stood now.

_Oh, I see now…_

Minako leaned her head on Rei's left shoulder and smiled as she felt a pair of arms wrap around her slim body, holding her close and tight. They stayed like that-- both gently swaying to the set rhythm, revelling in the warmth that had blossomed between them.

Rei blushed hard when Minako released a soft, content sigh; her breath had brushed against the exposed part of the woman's shoulder, bringing Rei to inwardly shudder.

"_Dancing can be very enjoyable when one dances with someone precious to them. To stare into the eyes of the one you love, together swaying to the music... There is an inexplicable connection that binds both partners together in that single moment."_

_So...this is what she meant._

(Medical Ward, Hotaru)

Hotaru silently eyed her sister, who was quietly crying on her lap. The blanket that covered her was quickly becoming wet with tears, but she didn't protest. Instead Hotaru rested a free hand on Usagi's head, doing her best to comfort the girl in the way she knew best; she allowed her to cry, always ready to lend an ear if her sister should ever wish to speak.

The stars in the night sky outside soon caught her eye and Hotaru turned her gaze towards the window, feeling nostalgic at the awe-inspiring sight.

…_Perhaps…_

…_if the two of you had met earlier, there may have been a chance…_

_But, Usagi, this does not mean that you should give up on love… Keep on living life to the fullest like you always have. And, perhaps, someday you may fall for someone who can truly love you back. Until then…I will stay with you as long as I can._

"…"

Hotaru paused when the sobbing stopped. A small smile lit her face upon realizing that Usagi had finally cried herself to sleep. As usual, the blonde hadn't thought about the possible consequences.

There was a moment of shuffling until Hotaru allowed her sibling to share her bed with her. Usagi mumbled something incoherent and reached out for the nearest warm source, thus snuggling up to the dark-haired woman. Hotaru sighed a little, and returned the embrace. It was like the old days when they were close. The memory brought another smile to her lips.

_Good night to you… _

…_my dear one…_

**

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**Next up in HFD, Ch. 31: Ruler part 1**

**Setsuna's rest is interrupted when an intruder barges into the unit with intent to assassinate her. After successfully warding off the attack, Setsuna gathers her charges for war. The time for rest is over, and the girls must briefly return to their planets to re-group their forces. But, how will one address her people if they hardly know she exists?**

_"**Apollo, even in death your arrogance knows no bounds."**_


	31. Ruler: part 1

**Disclaimer:** **I do not own Sailor Moon**

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(Moon Palace, before dawn)

The night's festivities have long drifted away into the blanket of darkness. Gone was the sound of music, of the intermingling melodic voices of the violin and piano... No longer was the soft swaying with a cherished loved one, the playful teasing and embarrassed expressions… Even the joyful bursts of laughter that once graced the spacious halls were absent; for each and every element had bid adieu with the good-natured retreat of the guests and inevitably plunged the once brightened, ancient world back into its former dormant state.

However, there was unspoken forgiveness. Even without the golden light to warm its pale complexion the palace remained unyielding in its guard of the sleeping souls shielded behind its walls. Many of whom were tuckered out, leaning into one another in warm embraces with a rare peace of mind as they dreamed of peaceful days.

They dreamed and dreamed, yet none of them sensed the sudden stirring within a particular palace corridor.

The intruder: The small form, with all of its training, skillfully crept through the silent structure. From the main entrance it scaled the nearest staircase to the second floor and crawled stealthily up to a closed door where it paused. It then craned its head towards the frame, picking out random, content sighs and mild shuffling. With an impulse of curiosity it reached for the door handle, deadly mindful of the unavoidable click as the door was opened a cracked. A bedroom, it noted. There were two occupants sound asleep atop of the sheets. A blonde woman in simple pajamas was snuggled up against another in a black dress. For an instant, her companion's brow was furrowed and she dangerously stirred. Had the stranger been noticed?

Without wasting time the door was closed and the intruder continued along its way.

It wasn't the target.

Wordlessly without complaint it infiltrated further, sneaking through the maze undetected by the other great energies that inhabited the sacred territory. Eventually, however, its senses lead it to the unusual gathering of three such energies. Hidden within a narrow corridor, deep within the palace, was the medical ward.

As it did with the others, the intruder opened the door but slipped in unnoticed by its dreaming occupants. To its left, in the nearest bed, a short, dark-haired girl protectively cradled a different blonde-- the stranger flinched at the sight. There was an increased sense of awareness flickering in its gleaming eyes as it tiptoed around the close pair towards the lone bed off to the far side. Unlike the previous ones that the intruder had encountered, this individual was alone. Her long green hair was spread across the pillow in what may have been a result of a restless sleep. The sight of her exposed neckline especially drew the intruder's gaze, stirring almost wild excitement within its instinctive being; however, it hadn't lost focus on the danger to its existence one bed away.

The assassin threw one last glance at the sleeping dark-haired girl before returning its entire focus onto the solitary woman. It was almost too perfect. It ventured forward with a dagger clutched in its black palm, determination and confidence radiating off of its posed form. Its victim inhaled and exhaled deeply. This was it-- the steel blade reflected its victim ominously at its zenith…

Down! Crimson eyes flew open.

"KREEEEE?!" A blanket was thrown into its tiny form. It quickly became tangled within the cloth, unable to break free from the pestering material in time to counter its opponent's assault. A long staff swung around and connected with the intruder's mid-section, sending it sprawling to the floor and its weapon clattering off to the side.

**Thud!  
**_**Crunch!**_

The tip of Setsuna's weapon came crashing down into its left shoulder, pinning it forcefully against the cold, tiled floor with a sickening crunch as her reward.

"Setsuna, wha!?" Hotaru was awake now. Both she and Usagi gasped upon catching sight of the beast struggling against Setsuna's grasp.

_What is that?_

_It's that thing!_ Hotaru narrowed her eyes.

The former advisor's crimson eyes blazed even more furiously as she stared down the lowly foot soldier. Impatience, disgust and anger were among the most apparent in her expression. She continued to hold the struggling pawn relentlessly, her heart completely absent of any sort of compassion—a fearsome sight that neither of the twins were fortunate enough to have witnessed until now.

Usagi was confused.

"Setsuna, what...?" _Why? Why are you torturing it? Why are you making it suffer like this?! This isn't like you. This isn't like you at all! _

"Be careful Usagi." Hotaru held her closer.

"Hotaru…?"

"That is one of his." As she allowed her sister to ponder upon her words, Hotaru had to admit that something was off about their guardian's behaviour.

_Setsuna.... Why isn't she finishing it off?_

_**Crunch!**_

_**...Crunch!**_

_**Crunch!**_

"Apollo, even in death your arrogance knows no bounds." As Setsuna spoke slowly, her crimson eyes were full of emotion. The creature continued to struggle. "You have finally found our location, yet you send this solitary, disposable pawn to carry out our destruction? Not only have you wasted an opportunity but you have also under-estimated your opponent. This critical mistake will be your downfall!"

The creature beneath the woman's staff abruptly went limp and laid still. To the side, Hotaru began to shiver and her eyes widened.

_This feeling…_ Her breathing quickened. _No, it-- it can't be!_

"Hotaru, what's wrong?" _She's shaking! _Usagi realized.

An orange light briefly lit around the assassin's body. And then, very slowly, a grin of insanity broke across its bleak face. Its eyes were no longer its own, they were filled with amusement and mockery instead of pain.

**"…****Set…una…"** A deep, raspy voice called out. The being then began to laugh upon seeing the color drain from the woman's face.

"**AHAHAHAHAHAHA---!!!!!!"**

"...Geh."

Having enough, Setsuna summoned her power and stunned the beast in its crimson light. The possessed creature shrieked in excruciating pain. Yet even as its body was disintegrating away, momentarily its gleaming red eyes landed upon the twins clutching onto one another. Its eyes widened and time seemed to slow-- the sight of the blonde one stirred a memory within itself. Her face and her eyes…

**"…****Arte…mis?"**

"HAAAAAAH!"

_**CRACKLE!**_  
_**Shrooooom!**_

Black particles dispersed across the room, and a lone sphere of light was released to the dark sky outside.

Setsuna dropped to one knee and grabbed at her staff for support. Her body quivered with rage.

_Don't… say her name. You don't deserve to say her name like that!_

"Setsuna!"

"Setsuna, are you all right?!"

Both of her charges were at her side in an instant. She looked to each of the worried faces and found herself disturbed by the hints of fear glimmering in their bright eyes. When she re-evaluated her appearance she instantly realized the problem. Slowly Setsuna inhaled and exhaled, willing her mind to clear and her troubled heart to calm itself. Only once did she achieve control over the raw emotions did she address the girls.

"There is no need to worry, I am fine." She assured them. "However, I am afraid that we can no longer afford to rest. He has found us. Lady Hotaru, Lady Usagi... will you please go and awake the others? Tell them that there is an emergency meeting and that they should all gather at the main palace entrance immediately." She saw the exchange of hesitant glances. "They may still be tired, but it is imperative that they all attend. This is a very urgent matter that must be addressed as soon as possible."

The twins nodded to one another and ran off with their mission in mind, leaving the former advisor alone in her restless thoughts.

_It was only a matter of time until it came to this…_

Setsuna rose herself to her feet, feeling her legs somewhat shaky with the burdening weight upon her shoulders. The happier times of the past presented itself to her with a distraction in mind; a time when she, Artemis and Apollo were inseparable, where she could readily smile. Yet as quickly as the warmth had touched her lonely heart it died out in an instant, and her expression steeled.

_None of it matters anymore._

She exited the room to where her audience would gather shortly.

_We must win this war._

**Tup…tup…tup…**

(Palace Main Entrance)

Setsuna descended the steps into the main entrance and was greeted by a group of sleepy stares. Some of the girls rubbed their eyes tiredly, while others either stared out into space with glassy expressions or were about to nod off standing up. Haruka and Rei, namely, were noticeably awake but were downright grumpy. The glare the Martian eyed Setsuna with did nothing for the woman or the sleepy Venusian who clutched at her shirtsleeve for support. Meanwhile, Haruka to say was less than impressed; as always, her impatience bared its fangs.

"What the freakin' hell is going on here Setsuna?! Do you what time it is? You better have a good reason because if it's another training session, I swear...!"

The addressed party unflinchingly met those furious green eyes.

"We must prepare for war. The time of battle is now upon us."

Eyes shot open and people jolted awake; suddenly everyone was on the alert. Uranus's face paled upon hearing the unexpected response, and Rei became apprehensive. Mutters dashed about the room, but the former advisor ignored them.

"Shortly before I summoned all of you here, one of Apollo's henchmen had breached our headquarters. There is no longer time to train or rest. Unless we make our move now, we will lose our opportunity to gain the advantage. He is foolishly under-estimating our power."

_Apollo…_ Hotaru bit her bottom lip at the memory of the morning incident. The person whom she trusted, the uncle she fought to become strong for, to protect, to wish to be praised by…the one who ultimately betrayed her. When the shadow assassin's eyes had fallen onto her, her blood ran cold and she knew.

_There is no mistaking it. It was him!_

"So, then what shall we do?" Michiru inquired. "These preparations... do they not include informing our people of our intent? After all, even our small group alone cannot win a war against an entire army without aid."

Minako's heart skipped a beat. If what Michiru was saying was true, then…

"Yes, that is correct." Setsuna confirmed. "To be precise, I will require all of you to return to your planets to formally pledge your aid to this war. Although many of your commanders may have introduced such a proposal to the military ranks, it is absolutely imperative to gain the support of the people. We need to unite the masses of each planet under a strong ruler, and then unite the rulers under a common banner. That… will be our mission objective."

_A common banner…? _The others pondered.

"In the past after the destruction of the Moon Kingdom, your mentors joined forces under _The Planetary Alliance_. Even before the death of her Majesty, Queen Serenity, there secretly had been talk of a possible rebellion amongst Apollo's court. Many wished for Queen Serenity to take her brother's place as ruler of the Gods."

"Our mother?" Usagi blinked back. She never imagined that her mother was such an important political figure.

"However… it was not meant to be. Though the former court of Apollo had successfully overthrown their Lord, none of them could agree upon the next ruler. Both siblings, Apollo and the good Queen, were dead… and Serenity's heirs were thought to have perished long before the war. Thus, they chose to live their lives as they pleased and came together once a year to commemorate their friendship and victory."

"Before they all were…" Haruka bitterly reminded her.

Makoto peered at the gloomy faces around her, finding her own throat beginning to constrict from personal memories.

_No one ever wants to admit that they've lost a loved one. Especially people like us… Because, even though we have so much power, it didn't come without a price. Still… we can't sit around and just start feeling sorry for ourselves! There's gotta be some way to cheer my friends up!_

She crossed her arms and frowned.

_Wait, I know!_

"Well, I don't know too much about this whole business of Gods ruling Gods, but what we want to concentrate now is on choosing a name for our group, right? Why not use the old one, The Planetary Alliance? I don't think our goals differ that much from the previous rulers. We all want peace, just like they did. Right…?"

_For old times' sake… for one last time…_

"You know, that's a really good idea Makoto." Uranus crossed her arms and glanced around at the others. "What do you guys think? Are there any objections?"

The others shook their heads.

"Okay, great! The Planetary Alliance it is then!" The shorthaired blonde momentarily grinned before diverting her attention back to their strategist. "So, Setsuna…! Now that we've decided on that, you want us all to go back to our planets, right?"

"Correct. However, I understand that certain circumstances involving your separate cultures may prove to be somewhat difficult in convincing your people of this new alliance."

"Okaaay…? Then what do you suggest?"

"Oh, I know! A projection!" Ami cut in. Heads turned in her direction, making the ruler somewhat embarrassed by all the attention. "W-Well...What Setsuna is trying to say is that our people may not question us, the rulers... but rather… our comrades. But if we modify our communicator system, we can use it to simultaneously show all of us agreeing to the alliance. Right now, I do not see it being a problem for the majority of us, but there may be some difficulty in convincing Minako and Michiru's people to join the alliance due to issues resulting from Ares's actions. It is very likely that many of them still regard him as the… the leader of Mars… Perhaps, the Martian soldiers too…" Her voice trailed off.

Rei stared at the floor, unsure of how to respond to the shy comment.

_As much as I hate to admit it, she's right. Ares is still the official leader of Mars! If he showed up in the middle of battle, will the soldiers still obey my orders or...? _

The subject dragged up a certain first officer's words from the depths of her memory.

"_I...I was wondering if you would consider taking over as leader... permanently."_

His words had made her heart waver uncertainly in the past, and they still did now.

"_I know I've always praised Ares. I've admired him ever since I was a small boy, and in a way, I still do."_

"_But... what good does that do when he's never around? He disappeared on us without a word! If he still hasn't returned to us in our time of need, then he never will!"_

A deep, contemplating look entered Rei's dark eyes.

"Rei…?" Minako could feel the air around her partner becoming distorted.

"If that is the only thing holding us back...Then I will try for permanent leadership!" She declared.

"Wha—But Rei!" Haruka couldn't believe this. Did she even know what she was saying? "Becoming a God is a really big deal! And besides, if you want to become the ruler, you have to...!"

"Uranus is right." Setsuna said as calmly analyzed the Martian's resolve. "It is a tradition amongst the planets that the ruler can only be one of God or Goddess rank… and one cannot achieve such a rank if they cannot find or defeat the current ruler."

There was a frown on the Martian's face, but the young woman didn't make any effort to protest. Setsuna could see it in her eyes—she was carefully re-evaluating the complications that would accompany the choice of such a decision. It would be wise if she listened to the advice of her friend.

With that, Setsuna then dismissed the girls with a final parting advice.

"As Mercury has said, we will operate using the communicator system. Do not begin the intermission until _all_ of you are ready. I cannot emphasize this enough. If what intended to be the unification of all of the planets and there was a ruler missing, then it may foster doubt amongst the people."

Rei said nothing, but she knew that Setsuna was referring to her. The burden of this mission rested heavily on her shoulders.

_After Ares's recent rampages on Neptune and Venus, the ties to the red planet have been strained, if not severed. If we cannot gain the support of the people of Mars and convince the people of the other planets that their ruler is no longer Ares, then... we may find ourselves a few allies short. _Setsuna glanced over to Michiru, and then back to the Martian and Venusian before her.

_The woman from Neptune may have the ability to sway her people accordingly under her command…however… it is those two that worry me._

"You are all dismissed. When you feel that you are ready to depart, please inform either Luna or Artemis and they will lower the planet shield for you. Lady Hotaru," she called to the girl as the others walked away, "...before you go, a word if you please?"

(Minako's room, Minako)

Minako dragged herself into the room, finding herself zapped of all her energy. The wind had been blown out of her sails since the mention of returning home.

_I can't believe it. I have to go back home already?_

The blonde pulled herself together long enough to reach the dresser and began to pack her away her clothing. As she listlessly packed her belongings in a mechanical-like fashion, her mind wandered to the memory of the night not too long before. It was surreal, a dream-like play that ran itself over and over again, fondly, within her heart. When she thought her crush would declare her dislike for her, she had—a blush crept over her cheeks at the memory, disrupting her concentration on her chores long enough to recall the softness of a certain woman's lips.

"Ahh! Get a hold of yourself Minako!" She was all but practically squealing in delight. A part of herself couldn't believe that Rei had actually kissed her because she wanted to and she was eternally grateful that Rei wasn't around to see the spectacle.

_But still, she said she liked me. _She brought a hand up to her lips. _She said she liked me as more than a friend. She kissed me...And then we danced together and she held me close with those strong arms of hers. When I leaned against her, I could hear her heart beating in her chest. She was so warm..._

"Oh! What-am-I-doing?!" _If I keep daydreaming I'll never finish!_ "Jeez...I can't believe I'm getting so worked up over cuddling..."

She stopped at the thought. But then, she slowly smiled. _Maybe...it's just because I love her that much._

"Okay! So, the sooner I finish, the sooner I can go and see her again!" She punched the air. _Let's do this!_

With that motivation in mind, she bolted all over the room like a whirlwind and swept everything up into their proper bags and suitcases within minutes.

**Tup! Tup! Tup!  
Tup! Tup! Tup!  
Tup! Tup! Tup!**

**Click**.

"Whew." The sound of the suitcase being shut coaxed a sigh a relief from the Venusian. It had actually taken several of attempts, including sitting on it, to get it to close. "All right... so let's see, do I have everything? Hair brush, toothbrush, clothes, books... check, check... okay! That's everything! Now, there's only one thing left to do."

Minako cheerfully whipped out her communication device, but when it came to typing in the channel code she hesitated. Her fingers were frozen and shaking above the buttons. The last time she had used her communicator, it had been shortly before she departed Neptune.

_I can't believe this. What am I afraid of...? It's not like I'll--I'll see her face again…_

A sad frown crept onto her pink lips and she shook her head. With that she hurriedly pounded on the buttons and opened the channel.

**…**_**Channel secured… opening transmission…**_

_**Bleep!**_

The projection emitted by Minako's communicator revealed the inside of a space shuttle bridge. In front of the main monitor, facing her, the intended presence that the Venusian had wished to contact was Sapphro. Her friend's hair was still short, but she was relieved to see that the blonde hair was gone and replaced with its natural blue colour.

"M-Minako?!" He shouted at the sight of her. "How are you doing?! Are you all right? Have you been eating well? I've been worried sick about you! Why haven't you contacted me earlier?!"

"Sapphro, I told you where I was going to be, didn't I? And as you can see, I'm perfectly fine. You don't need to worry if I don't need to contact you every day." She smiled despite herself. At least one thing hadn't changed.

Sapphro relaxed his pose and calmly fell back into his seat with a thoughtful expression.

"You're being way too overprotective. Admit it." Minako urged. "C'mon…"

He reluctantly sighed and placed his hands up into the air. "All right, all right... Maybe, I-I am being a little overprotective."

"A little?" She arched an eyebrow.

They both stared at one another in silence, Minako with her dominating 'I know I'm right' stare versus Sapphro's 'I hate you' glare. Finally, they both had to burst out into laughter at their silliness.

"So anyway," Minako asked once she caught her breath back. "How is everything back at home? Is everything going all right?"

"You mean over here? Ah… well, it's not too bad, I guess. Taya is trying to handle everything as best as she can, but there's only so much that she can do. A lot of people are still confused whether or not…" His voice trailed off.

"About?"

"Oh, speaking of which, when ARE you coming home?"

_Why did he… just change the subject?_ Minako wondered. He was smiling unusually brightly all of the sudden as well.

"Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. Everyone is going to be returning to their planets for a bit…so… I guess I will be too."

Sapphro leapt to his feet on the other end and slammed his palms onto the panel board. "Really?! You mean you're actually going to be coming home? That's great! Should I come and get you?"

"If you aren't too busy, that would be nice…"

"Busy? Who's busy?! Okay, don't move all right? I'll be there as soon as possible! Hang in there kiddo!"

**Bleep!**

The line was terminated, and Minako slowly eased herself over to the bed to rest.

_That's strange... Sapphro seemed a little too excited to know that I was coming home. I mean, I knew he would be happy to see me again, but still… something… felt off. Is there a problem at home that he can't tell me about? The people are confused? About what though...?_

**Knock, knock.**

"Come in." She sat up when she saw who it was. "...Rei! Hi!"

The Martian peeked into the room, and seemed hesitant about entering. "Umm... Hi? Did I...come at a bad time?"

"Pssh, no way! C'mon, come in!" She had to laugh when Rei yelped as she was given a big hug. The blonde couldn't help it; Rei was like a giant teddy bear, well at least on the cuddly aspect.

"H-Hey..." She flinched when Minako suddenly gave her a peck on the cheek.

"I was actually just finishing. So, what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? Did you sleep well last night?"

Rei turned red as a beet. "W-Well... I uhh..." She nervously looked away.

_Ahh... she looks so cute! _"It's okay, I'm just teasing you. I'm...well, how to put it... really happy that you stayed with me. I didn't even realize when I fell asleep."

"Well, you did look kind of tired. _And _you had been studying..." She rolled her eyes, feigning disbelief. _Surprisingly..._

Minako hit her arm and Rei snorted. "I was studying! But it's just—none of us really had much time to sleep over the past few days so I was just a little more tired than usual."

Rei couldn't argue with that. "Yeah...especially with Setsuna's night-time exercise." she muttered in annoyance.

"But it was so much fun."

"...You thought it was fun?"

"No. That was sarcasm Rei." Minako stepped away from the woman and stretched her arms. For some reason, Rei couldn't pull her eyes away. "...Mmm...Anyway! What's up? Did you come to say good-bye before you left?"

She spun around and startled her companion. Rei just realized that she had been staring.

"O-Oh! Actually, yeah...I did." She reluctantly admitted in embarrassment.

"Aww...that's so sweet of you."

"...Mina."

"Hmm...?" She was surprised when Rei brought her hands up and steadied her by the shoulders so that they were looking face to face.

"Are you really okay with this? Going back home I mean..."

It took a moment for the words to register. "Oh. Well..."

"Honestly."

Minako averted her gaze. She had to use that word, didn't she?

"Honestly...I don't know. I'm not really sure what to think, I mean... it just doesn't really feel real. Becoming a ruler, and becoming responsible for everyone's lives... That's a lot of people Rei. It's almost a little scary. And I know it's silly, but I can't help but hope that my family will be there when I go back. I still can't quite believe...that they're really all gone." She felt Rei squeeze her shoulders and shook her head. "I shouldn't complain. I mean...at least, I had a family."

Minako half-expected the Martian to get offended by the comment, but to her surprise Rei was calmly looking back. She didn't look angry, but perhaps a little sad.

"Did you even know them?" She finally asked.

"...A little. Or, at least I think I used to." Rei quietly replied. "My memories of back then aren't very clear, so...I can't really say."

_So that's why you went after Nozomi like that._

Minako reached up and cupped her cheek. "...I'm sorry."

Rei grasped her hand and leaned into it for a moment. "It's not your fault. And besides, it really has nothing to do with who I am now. It's in the past."

"I see...So, then how do you feel about going back home? I mean, it sounded like Setsuna was really coming down on you during the talk."

"Even if she was, she's right. If I don't get my act together, it can cause trouble for everyone."

"Rei..." She was surprised to see her smile back.

"It's fine. I'll admit that I am a bit nervous...but I'm sure it'll all work out in the end."

"...Yeah. I'm sure you're right." Minako finally smiled back. "But for what it's worth, I think you'd make a great ruler."

Rei couldn't be sure, but did her heart just flutter?

"Heh. You're getting just as bad as Haruka...flatterer."

"Only when it's deserved," Minako corrected. "But...seriously, Rei. If you ever need someone to talk to, you can call me."

"...Yeah. That goes for you too."

Rei released the blonde and began to walk back towards the door when someone tapped at her shoulder and she heard an 'ahem'. When she turned around, she saw Minako looking at her with an expectant grin.

"Don't I get a kiss before I go?"

Rei almost laughed. "But if I do that, I might be spoiling you," she countered as she wrapped her arms around her waist and drew them together.

"Mm...But I like being spoiled. Besides, you know you like it too."

Rei smiled, but Minako didn't see the mischievous glint in her dark eyes. She leaned down, but at the last possible moment she turned and gave her a peck on the cheek instead.

Minako opened her mouth to protest, but she was silenced when Rei pressed a finger against her lips.

"Next time," She promised. And this time she really left, leaving Minako standing there at the doorway with a dazed expression on her face. It took the Venusian a moment to realize that she had been cheated out of a kiss.

"Rei, you jerk!" She shouted after her. "You better not forget! You better..."

_...You better come back safe, okay?_

(Palace Main Entrance, Usagi)

Although the others had already departed to their respective planets, Usagi remained where the group had last gathered. Despondently she sat on the cold steps, staring down at her feet while, occasionally, releasing a disheartened sigh. Her heart was still aching from the memory of the night before. However, despite the despair stemming from her past she could not bring herself to hate either of _them_: Her sister or Minako.

_She truly is lucky... _Usagi reminisced of the other blonde. There was little doubt in her mind where Rei had gone to that night, and the thought of them both staring into each other eyes stung terribly.

"Perhaps…I am envious…" She whispered to herself.

Hotaru gazed at her sibling from atop of the steps. It was a sad sight, but she was well aware that a broken heart could not merely mend overnight.

"Usagi," she called to her.

The other woman blinked, and quickly put on a smile. "Oh, Hotaru. I-I didn't see you there. Did everyone leave yet?"

_She's still trying to smile?_

"Yes, they have all left."

"I see. Well, I hope they will be all right." She rose to her feet as Hotaru descended the steps to meet her.

"I'm sure they will be. However…I think you should save some of that worry for us."

"What do you mean?"

"I just spoke with Setsuna. She…she thinks that there may be another way to strengthen our forces in case some of our allies cannot pull through."

"You mean...a back-up plan?"

"Yes. Usagi, do you remember the planet Earth? It is the celestial body that the moon orbits around. Apparently there is a group of humans living there."

"Humans…?"

"Mm," she nodded. "However, the one that rules them is not of a God's rank. Do you know what that means?"

_What it means if a planet is not ruled by a God?_ Usagi tried hard to think up of an answer, but nothing was coming to mind.

"...No, I'm afraid I don't." She saw a strange emotion in Hotaru's eyes as she said this. "Why?"

"Usagi... It may be possible that not all of our people have perished." Her sister gasped in response. "What if it was possible, that before I…before our home was destroyed that a number of civilians had already moved to Earth?"

"Are you serious? Do you really mean that?" The hope in Usagi's voice softened her sister's expression.

"Mm. So, what do you think we should do? We cannot idly wait around for things to happen, right, Usagi? We must move forward, even if it pains us." Hotaru reached out and held her gently by the shoulder. "Setsuna wishes for us to go and investigate. If her suspicions are proven to be correct then we are to request for their assistance in the war. We'll go together, all right?"

…_Together…_

A sincere smiled graced Usagi's lips.

"Yes, let us go to Earth... together…"

(Venus, Space shuttle, Minako)

Surprisingly, after her reunion with her guardian, the rest of the journey had been made in silence. Since Sapphro had picked her up from the Moon, the man hadn't said a word. She had tried to initiate a conversation several of times, especially related to their home during her absence, but no matter how hard she pestered him, he kept his lips zipped. For some reason he absolutely refused to divulge anything about Venus's situation and it was starting to get on Minako's nerves; even as the shuttle made to dock at their destination Sapphro continued to uphold his personal oath of silence.

"Sapphro, this is just silly! Why won't you tell me anything? I'll just find out sooner or later, you know!" She followed him out towards the shuttle exit. "I mean, I think I have a right to know."

Both of them exited the shuttle onto the patch of ground outside. The palace was only a short distance away.

"Are you even listening to me-- Sapphro! Woah!"

He had stopped so suddenly that she almost ran into him.

"...I'm sorry. It's just... I'm not very good at explaining these kinds of things, you know? I think it would be better if Taya filled you in on this one."

_Is he...?_

"Wait, where are you going?"

"To get Taya!" He shouted over his shoulder. "She was ecstatic to hear that you were coming home! I think she might be in a meeting right now, but I bet she'll be out in a blink of an eye. So stay here, all right? Don't go wandering off!"

Minako reached out her hand but, no matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't go after him. During their brief conversation, she had sensed it all along. Despite his smiles he was really heartbroken inside, and, knowing that, it broke her heart too.

…_I guess… he still hasn't been able to forgive himself because of Eros… _

She turned her attention to her surroundings. _This place… _Minako eyed the damaged courtyard. Although the sky above had returned to its brilliant, clear blue backdrop, the ground below it still bore the scars of the past battle; patches of barren ground were surrounded by the dead remains of charred grass, and the leftover aggregate from the marble statues, which still hadn't been picked up already, remained scattered over the ground where they fell. As she continued to watch, she realized that each grim reminder of their bloody history was slowly being eroded away by the wind. Even the bloody stains that dyed some of the dirt unnaturally red were being blown away. The blood—the scene before the Venusian warped back into the battlefield of death and back.

"Ugh…" Minako brought a hand to her face and grimaced. _No… I--I can't run away now. There's still something that I have to do!_

Rei's face came to mind, and the nausea temporarily subsided.

"Hey guys, is that really--?"

"I think it is! Hey! Over here! HEEEEY!!!!"

Minanko instinctively pulled herself together when she spotted three Venusian soldiers sprinting towards her. For a moment, due to their enthusiasm, the woman feared that they were going to tackle her to the ground in their excitement. Or the one without any armor on at least.

"Captain, it really IS you!" The shortest of the three came to a skidding halt, barely stopping an arm's length away from her. His blue eyes were shimmering with excitement as he stopped to catch his breath. "You don't know how relieved we are to know that you are safe! The others--! When we found them, you weren't there and we thought…"

Minako stared back in stunned silence, which quickly became awkward by what the man said next.

"Wait. You… you don't remember us?" A hurt expression crossed his features. For a moment, Minako was worried that he was going to break down into tears. "We were a part of the group that you commanded during the battle. All of us here were part of the five man group that carried out the evacuation! But, even then... all of us didn't make it. We lost two of the men when we were unexpectedly ambushed."

"Oh. I see…" Although she knew she should have anticipated such a result, it still pained her to hear it.

"Yeah... But, hey, we're all doing everything we can to help re-build our home! That's the important thing now, right Sir? To do what we can do so that their sacrifices won't in vain."

He suddenly went quiet when he saw the thoughtful look on Minako's face.

"Am I wrong?"

"No, you're absolutely right." Minako shook her head and smiled. "But, I don't believe that I've ever gotten your names. May I ask who you three are?"

"Oh! I-I'm sorry... we should have introduced ourselves first! Stupid! Stupid!" He slapped himself repeatedly in the face out of sheer embarrassment.

"Umm...It's all right, really. You don't have to do that." _I wish he would stop doing that...He's actually making me feel bad. _

"Yes SIR!" He saluted, and startled her for a second. "My name is Render, Sir. I don't have a title or an impressive reputation to display but…"

As he went on into a rant about something, Minako was somewhat lost in her own thoughts. She still couldn't believe it.

_They really don't recognize me. _

"…But anyway, enough about me! Please allow me to introduce you to my comrades and friends. The serious guy to my nearest right is Ernest and behind him, is Dael. Dael is really, really, REALLY smart, but he's not much of a talker. Actually, Ernest isn't much of a talker either, but he makes up for it by being our power tank in battle. Together, the three of us make up squad RED!" He posed and looked at her expectantly. "It's a great name isn't it? We all pitched in and—"

"That is enough Render!"

"Huh?"

"You are making a fool of yourself." Ernest interrupted before his friend could carry on. Like his companions, as many other Venusians, he had inherited blonde hair and blue eyes. All of them, however, had short hair due to military protocol.

His eyes met Minako's. "If you wouldn't mind, would you please introduce yourself as well? It is inappropriate for us, as soldiers, to be ignorant of the name of our captain."

"…My name? Oh, my name! It is…" She began to panic. _Ooh, what should I say?_ The expectant faces of admiration troubled her; if she revealed who she was, how would they treat her then? Would they scoff at her or would they panic?

"My name… is Mina."

There was a moment of silence as the three men exchanged glances. Minako watched them all nervously, studying their faces for any possible signs of a reaction, and breathed out a sigh of relief when Render bellowed,

"Captain Mina, all right! You have no idea how awesome it is to meet you personally like this! It's really rare to meet a superior in the academy face to face!"

"Indeed." Ernest agreed. "However… I hope you don't think of me as rude when I say this, but... I don't ever recall hearing that we had a female Captain in our ranks. Many of the women who join the military are normally trained to become tacticians, such as our current substitute leader. Did you hear anything about this Dael?"

Minako froze. She wondered how smart this 'Dael' person was; Render used quite a few 'really's.

Render frowned, and shoved Ernest hard before Dael could reply. "Hey! We're not here to interrogate her. Have some respect, will ya!?"

Ernest nearly fell onto Dael, who just barely moved out of the way in the nick of time. However, neither of the two protested against their friend's word.

"I'm very sorry about that, Sir, he's usually not like that," Render apologized and bowed his head. "Please believe me when I say this, but we are very happy to see you. When you had suddenly disappeared without a trace, many of us were genuinely worried. But...the good Queen, Her Majesty, Queen Aphrodite, must be smiling upon Venus and brought you back to us safe and sound." He lifted his head and shot her an apologetic look. "Regrettably, I wish we could welcome you back under better circumstances. However, we really could use your help right now."

"...My help?"

"Yes! I know it may sound selfish, but we don't know what to do anymore! Please, will you come with us to the city?"

_The city…? _Minako remembered her friend's words. _But, Sapphro told me to stay here. What if Taya comes looking for me and I'm missing?_

Render sensed Minako's hesitance, and in a flash he had dropped to one knee with his head bowed low.

"Please, I beg of you! I don't have the time to explain everything now, but I can tell you on the way there. Please...! There's no one else we can go to!"

_Ah…_

"Stand up. That's no way for a soldier of Venus to behave." Minako instructed.

The man's head shot up. "Then, you mean…?"

"Yes. I'll come with you."

Render's face brightened considerably. "Thank you, Sir!"

(Venusian Capital, Cytherea)

Together, with Minako in the center of the guard, the group ventured down the winding streets of the Venusian Capital, Cytherea. Minako was utterly captivated by what she saw and closely observed her people's daily lives in complete fascination. The joy of witnessing the strange, yet familiar sight stirred up emotions akin to that of a traveler being welcomed home with open arms. And, in turn, she welcomed it back whole-heartedly. Her senses were all alive and tingling with newfound freedom; the urge to dance grew and a smile lit her face. Something so simple as taking a walk and meeting so many different people of various ages--her heart hadn't felt lighter since her departure from the Moon.

_This world… I've only seen it once before. It was after Marie secretly snuck me out once after I left 'the room'. _

_We walked down this very street together in disguise. We were out all day, and we saw so many things… She was always smiling, and guiding me through the crowds._

_I remember that, at one point during our walk, I was distracted by a group of children playing on the side. One of them was a boy about my age...I guess they were climbing around some crates and he had fallen and hurt his knee. Without thinking I went over to help him. I don't really know why I did it. I just... did. After I helped him, he threw a piece of candy into my hands, and said, 'Here! But don't tell grandma that I gave you this, okay? She might get mad at me! '. _Minako inwardly chuckled.

_To say the least…after that, I was lost. I didn't want to scream Marie's name because someone might've recognized us, especially after all of the trouble she went through to make these disguises. But, I found out that I didn't need to. She found me almost right away. I was so happy…_

_We were happy for most of the day until we got home. Somehow Mother knew what had happened and she scolded Marie terribly. I was so scared. My sister was always obedient to our Mother's wishes, but she took all of the blame even though it was my idea in the first place. Even when she should have been angry at me, she wasn't._

_...Marie..._

_She always found me when I was lost. She always there trying to guide me; advice... love... whatever I needed, she gave without asking for anything in return._

Minako sighed.

_I really miss her._

An elderly man mishandled a basket nearby, and the lid flew open with the release of doves.

"Oh!" Minako braced herself against the rush of feathers, and relaxed. Her companions all grinned at her surprise.

…_My home…_

…_I want to show Rei this someday…  
_  
"It's lively, isn't it?' Render commented quietly. "This is what we put our lives on the line to protect."

"Mm…"

"As you probably already know, Sir, since the royal family's unjustly end, we of the palace guard have been dispatched to help maintain the peace of the city. When word got out of Queen Aphrodite's passing, and her heir, Lord Eleutherios, the capital was thrown into a state of complete chaos. Many of the people lashed out against one another in confusion, and as a result, many were hurt."

_That's horrible. All of these smiling people were fighting amongst one another?_ Minako almost couldn't believe it.

"The substitute ruler, Taya, is doing her best to run things in Her Majesty's place, but…unfortunately... she doesn't quite have the same influence over the people. Therefore, we are still searching."

"Searching…?" _Searching for what?_

"Yes, someone of your rank must have heard the rumours! Among our people, there is a rumour that there was a survivor of the royal family. Apparently, our Queen had born eight children! I mean, even I didn't know about it and I was a part of the guard." He laughed nervously. Even Minako had to blink at that. "They say that the youngest child is still alive and out there somewhere."

_Ah...so this is how you handled my disappearance, Taya..._

"You don't say… Well, do you believe it?" She asked.

A thoughtful expression washed over his face.

"I don't think so," Ernest suddenly spoke out in a deep voice. "If there was a survivor, then why haven't we found them yet? We have already searched the entire capital and there is no trace of this phantom heir! In fact, if you ask me...continuation of this search is just a waste of resources. But for argument's sake, let's say that kind of person actually existed… Maybe they don't want to be found. Perhaps they got scared and ran away, abandoning their duty and their people. I see no reason to allow such a cowardly person to ascend to the throne and gain Her Majesty's power. Don't you agree…Captain?"

Minako was stunned speechless by the soldier's words. More than anything she wanted to tell him that he was wrong, that what he believed wasn't true-- that she hadn't abandoned them. However, her wounded heart still struggled to find her identity; the person she had been born and lived as or the captain, and…

"…I…"

"I believe." Another voice said quietly.

"Render?" Minako stared at the man. She was almost taken aback by the confidence that shone in his bright blue eyes.

"Surely you jest, Render!" Ernest confronted him. "You have never even conversed with a member of the royal family! How can you be a good judge of their characters?"

Render shook his head. "It's true…that one cannot be allowed to see the Gods if one is not a member of the elite guard. However, our people were happy under their rule. Don't you remember Lord Eleutherios, Ernest?"

He saw his friend balk at his words.

"Well, I do. How could I ever forget? The first time that I laid my eyes on him, my heart began to pound so fast! He spoke to the new recruits with such dedication, and kindness... that I was completely swept away in awe. When I found out that he was next in line to the throne, I made it my dream to be the best guard that I can be. I wanted to believe in them. I wanted to help protect my home. That's why... I truly believe that the remaining member of the royal family, whoever he or she is, they are out there somewhere… alive, and well. I am positive that Her Majesty Aphrodite will bring them back to us as she did with our captain. Don't you think so...Ernest?"

Ernest made a 'hmph' growl and turned his head away. But Render ignored the grouch and turned his attention to his third comrade.

"What about you Dael? What do you think?"

"There are often truths to rumours." The shorter man simply replied. He then smiled at his friend. "However, one cannot rule out the faith factor."

"That's right!" Render laughed. "Isn't that right Captain? We should just believe."

Minako's gaze softened. No words could entirely express the gratitude that she felt right then.

…_Thank you…_

"Yes."

(City Square)

The group pushed onwards through the crowds towards the City Square. As they neared the gathering place, Minako was prompted by curiosity to ask,

"Now, what was it that you wished for me to see?"

"We're right here. See for yourself."

Render brought them to a complete stop just outside the enormous area, and Minako's eyes widened. The City Square was packed with the wounded and the sick; there were so many people in bandages, and almost just as many stretched out on makeshift beds in pain. The injured largely outnumbered the few medical specialists in the area, who were already being pushed to their limit. She had never quite seen anything like it.

Render scanned the bodies until he spotted who he was looking for.

"Grandma!" He cried and rushed off.

_...Grandma?_ Minako thought. She watched the man weave his way through the beds until he stopped at one in particular with an elderly woman.

"His grandmother," Ernest offered to Minako's surprise. The remaining trio watched Render drop to his knees and hold the woman's wrinkled hand. "She's all he's got left. Sometime after the invasion, she fell ill."

"Normally, there wouldn't be any problem with treating her," Dael added. "However, due to the amount of casualties we are already running low on both doctors and medical supplies."

"Is that… what you came to me about?"

_Is this what Sapphro couldn't tell me about?_

Ernest fell silent, continually staring at Render as he consoled his sickly grandmother, and Dael's gaze fell.

"We understand that there may be nothing you can do, Sir. But…Sir?"

Minako worked her way over to where Render was with a determined expression upon her face.

_Actually, there is something I can do…_

Once she stopped in front of the pair, she saw him peer up at her questioningly.

"Trust me, okay?" She bent down to her knees and carefully took his grandmother's hands into hers. The elderly woman rasped for breath, and she sweated profusely; the thin washcloth upon her forehead was barely containing her high fever.

"You're going to feel a little strange, but it shouldn't be uncomfortable," she told the elderly woman. "All that I ask if that you bear with me for a minute."

With that, Minako closed her eyes and began to concentrate.

_I want to heal you more than anything. So please, get better…_

"Captain...?" _Ah…_

_**Sheeeeeeen…**_

A golden light wrapped itself around Minako and then flowed down into the elderly woman. The effect was instantaneous: The beads of sweat clinging onto her messed hair dried up, the redness in her face faded and her breathing became easier. Render couldn't bring himself to believe the miracle that was being performed before his very eyes.

_What is this power? _

When the light faded, his grandmother blinked and slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position. All of her symptoms had been cured.

"Huh? Oh my, that's strange...I suddenly feel so much better."

Render could hardly contain his excitement any longer and gently embraced her. "Grandma! You're all right! Thank Goddess!" And this time, he really did cry. "I can't thank you enough. Thank you, Captain! Thank you!"

"What's going on?" Someone muttered.

"Did something happen?" Another whispered.

Minako nervously glanced around at all the attention she was getting. The whispering had started, yet to her surprise she didn't quite mind it. As far as she could tell, it wasn't anything bad. The majority of it was confusion and curiosity.

A tug on her shirtsleeve drew her gaze down to see a little boy with a wounded puppy, who had seen the act, looking up at her hopefully.

"Captain…?" He timidly addressed her.

Minako reached out her hand towards his head and he flinched as she abruptly gave him a comforting pat.

"Of course," she smiled. "Leave it to me, okay?"

_I just want to help them. I just want to help my people. And this... is what I can do now. With my power, I'll heal them… I'll take away their pain…_

"Who is she?!"

"I think someone said she was a aptain?"

"Captain, please help me next!"

_But…when the time comes… How will I be able to tell these people, some of which who don't even know if I exist…_

…_who I really am?_

**

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**

**Next up in HFD, Ch. 32: Ruler pt 2**

**Minako is getting settled in, but how are the others fairing with their missions? Hotaru and Usagi have made it to Earth, but their arrival was not well-received. When they meet the ruler of Earth, will he condemn them as imposters or will he give them a chance? A distance away, Rei is also facing similar technical difficulties; given her people's strict upbringing, how will she be able to convince them to break one of the planets' longest standing customs and follow her instead?**

**"**_**Why are all of the squad captains here? Aren't all of you supposed to be carrying out your training sessions for the day?"**_

**"**_**...Well...We all missed you so much that I couldn't keep them away. Besides, there was something that we all wanted to ask you. Why did you decide to come back?"**_


	32. Ruler: part 2

**Disclaimer:** **I do not own Sailor Moon**

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* * *

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(Earth, Usagi)

Usagi and Hotaru stepped out of their shuttle and made contact with the dirt ground. The place was entirely different than they had expected it to be; from the Moon, the Earth appeared to be a giant sphere of vibrant colours. But here, the place where their shuttle had landed, the land was dark and cold. There was a single, dirt path that appeared to disappear into the distance but it was shrouded by fog. There wasn't a soul in sight; was this really where Earth's royal palace resided?

"Hotaru...Are you sure this is really the place?" Usagi hesitantly asked.

"This is the coordinates that Setsuna gave us. So...I suppose that we have no choice but to check it out. If we're wrong, then we can always come back."

"But..."

"You want to know the truth, don't you?" Hotaru returned a knowing look. She saw Usagi freeze. "Then let's go..." She offered her a smile. "Everything will be all right. If anything happens, I'll be there to protect you."

"...Mm." She finally nodded.

The two women travelled together along the path for some time, and discovered that the further they ventured into the area the thicker the fog became. Eventually, they had lost sight of the shuttle and everything else around them. However, they had been mistaken when they thought they were alone. From the moment they stepped off of the shuttle, Hotaru had noticed their presences.

**…**_**ping…**_

_It appears that we aren't welcome. _Hotaru warily noted. In her spiritual sight, she could see red flames hidden within the fog. They were huddled by the ground, shifting every so often, and only crept forwards when they progressed along the path.

"Hotaru..."

"Don't worry. I sense them... Just ignore them and keep walking." However, their peculiar behaviour did fuel the annoyance that she felt.

_That's odd...Why haven't they attacked yet? The path that we're walking on is fairly narrow, so if they were planning on ambushing us, then this would be the perfect opportunity. _She narrowed her eyes. _Unless..._

To their surprise, the presences hadn't interfered with them even as they approached the gates. It appeared that there was a palace here. However, there were still no visible signs of life.

Their footsteps grew louder as they stepped off of the dirt path and walked onto the cement, tiled flooring.

**Tup…tup…tup…  
Tup…tup…**

"Hotaru, can I ask you something?" Usagi whispered nervously.

"Yes?"

"What if… Suppose that the people of Earth _are_ our people. What should we do if they don't recognize us?"

_What if they reject us?_

"If they do not recognize us, then we will merely present ourselves as we are." She replied simply.

"What? Just like that...?"

They past the towering, black gates and came to a stop within the palace courtyard. To their surprise, it hardly looked any different. As it had been in the outer world beyond the palace, it was within its inner walls; the place was dry, lifeless, and filled with the same accursed fog. It was as though they had never left the winding path and it unnerved Hotaru. The soldier of destruction found this scenery all too familiar: Majestic structures without any people to inhabit them. However, that wasn't entirely the case and that was precisely why it angered sparked her ire.

"They're getting closer," Usagi nervously commented. She knew that Hotaru felt it as well. The energy signatures that had stalked them thus far had followed them right into the palace and were continuing to slowly close in. Judging from their surroundings, Hotaru would have bet her life that they were hiding behind the marble pillars along the borders of the court yard.

_They must think that they are rather clever, thinking that they can camouflage themselves without detection. It makes me wonder... Do they greet all of their visitors in this manner? They do not know who we are and yet they choose to hide instead of inquiring. To think that these people may be ours... to have fallen this far…_

_How cowardly._

"Enough of this nonsense! Show yourselves!" Hotaru demanded.

The tense atmosphere was suddenly broken by visible signs of movement through the fog. Usagi stepped nearer to her sister as a number of soldiers stepped out into the open (as predicted they were hiding behind the pillars). Many of them were clothed in battle armor and wore disbelieving faces; was it that strange that the unidentified intruders were a pair of women?

Hotaru turned her cold stare to those who already held a weapon in their hands. The sight of the swords and spears, the very thought of them attacking Usagi with murderous intent nearly made her blood boil. Angry, resentment and rage—it was like a trail of fire within her that raked down into the depths of her soul and threatened to flick a forbidden switch inside. Hotaru's face darkened and instinctively the restraints on her powers weakened. Her aura began to seep out. It coiled around her body like a black mist and began to pulse as if it were imitating a heartbeat. But in the eyes of Earth's soldiers the rising spiritual flames resembled something of untamed beast that was barely restrained by its master. Waves of fear coursed throughout the area.

"H-Hotaru…?" The darkness was so strong that even Usagi almost stepped back in uncertainty.

_If you touch her…I will not forgive you!_

"W-What the hell is that?! Am I seeing things?!" One soldier yelped.

"You idiot! W-Who needs to see? Can't you just feel that evil energy?!" His captain spat back.

…_If you harm her…_

A group of men dared to meet Hotaru's furious eyes and gulped at the sight; they were narrowed and were glowing with an unnatural pinkish-red light. Fear drew them into a tempting embrace, and spoke of frightened impulses. Those who hadn't drawn their weapons yet instinctively fumbled for their blades now, while those who had met Hotaru's gaze straight on dared to rid themselves of this presence.

"It's a monster! Take it out! HaaaaaAAAAAH!" The Captain and two others charged.

Hotaru's eyes glinted menacingly and a spark of purple lightning surged up around her as they closed the distance.

"No, don't do it!" Usagi cried out.

At the very same instant, another voice bellowed, "HALT!"

The charging forces nearly tripped over themselves at the voice and Hotaru, who had been so close to unleashing her power, blinked back and snapped out of her trance. The energy around the woman calmed down somewhat, but she still hadn't dropped her guard. Both restless parties then turned their attention towards the presence standing at the palace entrance. There was a young, black-haired man standing there; his black armor differed from the soldiers surrounding the pair and was noticeably more decorated than the Captain's, but the most defining feature about him, to Hotaru at least, was that he was the only one with his sword not yet drawn.

"Your Majesty! Please, you shouldn't be out here! It's too dangerous!" One of his subordinates protested.

The man raised his hand to the soldiers for silence and then calmly regarded Hotaru with his dark eyes. They both stared at one another in silence.

"..."

_I had felt an unusually strong presence, and came to investigate it myself. However…I hadn't expected to find the source of it to be from these two, young women. None of them look familiar, yet they both carry a strange aura to them._

_Who are they?_

"Please forgive my men for their rudeness. I understand how you may feel for our earlier behaviour but please, they were simply following guard policies. It is unnecessary for there to be bloodshed. If you have some business to discuss with Earth, then I am the one to speak with."

The light in Hotaru's eyes dimmed as she finally withdrew her aura, an action that brought her twin to sigh in relief.

"I see." She said, finding herself somewhat calmer now. "Then may I ask who I am speaking to?"

The soldiers around them appeared to balk at her ignorance, but their representative didn't appear perturbed in the least.

"I am King Endymion, ruler of Earth. Now, if you would not mind, would you please introduce yourselves and tell us who you and your companion might be?"

"Who I am is not important. However," She said as she turned to face him, "the woman behind me is the rightful ruler to the Moon Kingdom!"

"The Moon Kingdom?!" Several others exclaimed.

_Hotaru?!_ Usagi couldn't believe how bold her sibling was being. Now, as a result, everyone was whispering. They were staring. The blonde woman felt like she was about to be sick, especially under the scrutinizing gaze of their leader; King Endymion's eyes had darkened and become stormy. His regal appearance was no longer as welcoming as it had been before this declaration.

"…The Moon Kingdom… was destroyed centuries ago." He finally replied. "As is it recorded in the history books, one day a black night descended upon our homeland and swallowed everything! Those who had remained there, family, friends… and the kind Queen Serenity and her entire family… they had all perished. We would have too, if not for the experimental migration to Earth before the incident."

_So, Setsuna was right. The people of Earth are actually descended from people of the Moon. _Hotaru confirmed.

"Now, from out of nowhere, you strangers have shown up and expect us to believe that one of you is the heir of Queen Serenity? It is a serious claim!"

"Indeed. However, there appears to be something that you have forgotten." She saw the King narrow his eyes.

"And that would be?"

"If the entire royal family had truly perished on that day, then would you not be something more?"

_**Lubb Dubb**_

"Such insolence!" The Captain growled.

"No, let her speak! I will hear her out..." Endymion silenced him. Now his interest had been piqued. "Please, continue…"

"King Endymion... although you claim to be a ruler, you are still human. It is known that if one can defeat a God or Goddess in contention for the throne, they will inherit their power and become a God themselves. The same could also be said that, if an accident has occurred, by default the God's power will be passed down to their heir, and if not the heir, then another individual worthy of the power. Since it appears that the people of Earth follow you as their ruler, there is little doubt that you have strength… But… can you honestly say that your strength rivals that of a God? If neither you nor any other individual amongst your people possesses Her former Majesty, Queen Serenity's power then where has it gone?"

For once, doubt began to flicker in the King's eyes.

"I understand that much time has passed since the Moon Kingdom's destruction, however…should I remind you that Gods do not age? What I speak of is the truth." Hotaru calmly pressed. Their eyes met and the tension between them wavered; after what he had seen and heard so far, Endymion was starting to re-think this.

_Could it really be true? Their powers, from what I have felt earlier… There's no doubt about it. At the very least, that one was enormous! But she said that the rightful heir was the woman behind her? Then...does she mean to say that her power is even greater than hers?_

"Hmph, get real!" The Captain mocked from the sidelines. "Even if there was a one in a million chance that one of the heirs had survived, why would you show your face now? But more importantly…why would she be prancing around with the likes of you?!"

Usagi gasped, but this time Hotaru resisted the urge to turn the disrespectful dog into a scorch mark on the floor; since she had learned of her people's fate from Setsuna she had anticipated this-- this confrontation that had once dragged her nights of peaceful slumber into the depths of Hell. Though it was true that she had lost some of her calm earlier, she could think clearly again. Everything about her challenger, the man's eyes-- the disgust and anger swimming in those dark pools were exactly as she had imagined them to be. It didn't matter that she hadn't directly influenced his life or that he hadn't been one of her slain victims; despite the resignation of her former identity Hotaru still felt a weak connection that bound her to her people. That alone almost saddened her. In another life, he would have been one amongst thousands who would have sought her protection.

"That dark aura you emit and you're eyes! They're the eyes of a killer! If anything, you must be a demon disguised in human form! There's no chance in hell that someone as pure as an heir of the Moon would be in the presence of such a monster!" He spat.

"She's not a monster!" Usagi protested. "Hotaru is a good person--!!"

"Usagi." Hotaru raised a hand to her sibling for silence. The man hadn't quite finished yet.

"If you want to live, then you better take your miserable hides' and go! If not, we'll kill you imposters on the spot! Or better yet... maybe we should do just that and do the whole solar system and rid it of your monstrous existences! Hahaha...and maybe His Highness will become a God if we kill you! Rules are rules, right? Isn't that right, Sir?!"

King Endymion said nothing, a silence that his guards took as consent, and the soldiers prepared themselves to attack. All the while his stormy eyes became trained on Usagi, who in turn was anxiously watching her sister.

_Is there going to be a fight?_ The blonde woman wondered.

"You're right… I was a monster." Hotaru muttered as she lifted her hand up and peered at her palm. "Because… the one who destroyed the Moon Kingdom... was me!"

"Hotaru?!"

The initial shock was brief, but soon many of the surrounding faces became contorted in hideous rage.

"GET THEM!" The Captain commanded. They were surrounded. "Demons! We'll slaughter the both of you!"

_What's the point in hiding it? I am a monster, a murderer…_ Hotaru mused. She remained motionless against the closing footsteps. The roar of clanking metal drew furiously nearer, yet this time she resisted the urge to call upon her aura for protection. She listlessly continued to stare at her palm with a shadow over her eyes.

_Before I knew it, I was starting to call upon that power again. It's too dangerous. _She still remembered the way Usagi shouted at her to stop. _I almost couldn't control it. That's why... I won't._

**Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!  
Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank!**

_What are you doing?! _Usagi wanted to scream, but she couldn't find her voice. Things were moving too fast. _Why aren't you doing anything?_

**Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!  
Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank!**

_Move! Do something!_

Swords and spears were drawn back, posed to skewer.

"HOTAAAAAARU!"

_**Ping!  
FLAAAAAAAAAASH!**_

A golden crescent moon appeared on Usagi's forehead and a white light flooded into the area. The guards were taken aback by its brightness and, as if time itself had been bewitched, their blades slowed.

Standing amongst the sea of white, Hotaru idly watched as her attacker's movements nearly came to a standstill. Inch by inch the blades agonizingly approached her presence, completely oblivious that the woman was stirring between the distinct heartbeats.

"However…"

A spark ignited within the palm of her hand and a solid blade began to materialize.

…_For Usagi…_

_**Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!  
Clank--- Tiiiiiiiiiiing!**_

In a blink of an eye the soldiers' weapons had been dismembered and fell to the ground in a heap--destroyed--much like their shattered pride. The rash captain who had ordered the attack fell to his knees along with his broken blade in complete dismay.

"WHAT?!?!" He gawked. "No, my sword! She…she cut it clean into two?! AHHHH!!!! N-No, stay back!"

Hotaru hovered over him, her shadow casting itself over his trembling frame with her silence glaive tightly gripped within one of her skilled hands. No one could move; no one could believe the speed and power that they had just witnessed. Not only had their prime target effortlessly disarmed them but her companion behind her was blazing with a Godly light. The white flames were powerful, yet warm and gentle all at once. Her presence greatly contrasted to that of the other; it was as if they were staring at the mirror images of two extremes, both standing side by side. It was unlike anything the soldiers or King Endymion had ever witnessed.

_The crescent moon on her forehead… _The King's eyes were drawn to it. _But the other woman, she claims to be the one who brought about our homeland's destruction? If that's true...then why are they together?_

_I don't understand._

"Please stop! We--We have not come here to fight!" Usagi insisted. Her aura and the crescent moon faded. "We've only come here to negotiate! King Endymion of Earth, please believe us!"

Endymion met her blue eyes, and found himself sighing inwardly. Either way, there wasn't much choice. He, too, was also very curious to learn what he could from these strangers.

"...Very well. I will hear your story inside. Please, if you would... Come this way." He gestured.

Usagi hesitantly made a few steps after the royal. The stares she was receiving from the unarmed soldiers were absent of the malice she had sensed earlier but it still made her squirmed inside. What did they think of her now? These people, her people…

"Good job Usagi. It looks like you got through to him." Hotaru dismissed her weapon and went to catch up with her sibling. "But that power you used just now...What was that?"

"I...I don't know." She silently confessed. "I'm not really sure myself. When I saw you being attacked, before I knew it...I felt this burst of power inside of me."

Hotaru thought back to how she felt when the light sprayed against her. She could never forget that familiar sensation even if she lived for another few centuries.

_There was only one other time that I felt a light like that. Many centuries ago..._ In her mother's final moments, she still remembered the way she looked at her when she died.

_I think...we finally found out where Mother's hidden power went._

"I wouldn't worry about it." Hotaru smiled. "It's a good power."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded back. "You saved me, didn't you? Doesn't that count for something?"

"Hah...Well, I really didn't do anything. You did most of the work." She nervously scratched her cheek, but she was still happy for the praise nevertheless. "But...What about King Endymion?"

"What about him?"

"After we tell him our story... Do you think he'll really believe us? What he doesn't?"

"Then at least we've tried. As you already know, Usagi, it is best to be honest. We will tell him our story and then present our request to him. If he refuses to help us then we will leave. It is as simple as that."

"Hmm...I hope you're right."

(Mars, Rei)

Rei was standing in front of the window of her shuttle room. Outside of the glass she could see her home, the blood-red planet, in plain view. One would think that she would be glad to return home after such a long and tiring journey, but, in truth, inside Rei felt downright ill. The calm demeanour she had put up for Minako's sake back on the Moon was gone and was replaced by a grave expression.

She couldn't get Haruka and Setsuna's words out of her head.

"_Uranus is right. It is a tradition amongst the planets that the ruler can only be one of God or Goddess rank__...__and one cannot achieve such a rank if they cannot find or defeat the current ruler."_

"_Wha—But Rei! Becoming a God is a really big deal! And besides, if you want to become the ruler, you have to...!"_

They had both said that... because,

"_If that is the only thing holding us back...Then I will try for permanent leadership!"_

Rei sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. The whole situation was beginning to make her head hurt. She couldn't help but wonder if this was how Setsuna sometimes felt.

_...What kind of sticky situation have I gotten myself into now? _She thought to herself. If it had been anyone else, she might have actually laughed at the irony of it all.

_I know that only a God can be a planet's ruler. And I know that the only way to become a ruler is to defeat the current God or Goddess but...even though I said that I'd become Mars's ruler, I don't have any time to find him. This means that in order to grant Setsuna's request, and gain the manpower that we need I have to tell the soldiers that I intend to become the next ruler without going through the proper trials. What I'd be doing is treason, and treason is punishable by death._

She thought about the case of her first officer. What he had been requesting back then was treason, the very same that she was intending to do, and she could have had him killed without fear of retribution. She knew that was why Haruka was upset with her earlier during the meeting. The very notion was essentially suicide for someone like her.

_Just because I'm their commander it doesn't mean that I'm excused from the law. Very likely...the moment I tell them, there'll be a fight. _

_A fight to the death!_

_There's just no other way. I could use my authority as the acting ruler and command them to follow me into the war and they would do it, but Ares is now our enemy. If we ran into him on the battlefield things would get complicated. Between choosing to follow the God of War or a human girl...there's no competition. After all, Zen wasn't his only fanboy. There were many others in the ranks that continued to praise and worship Ares even after I became the substitute leader. For awhile, I really hated it. Every order that I gave out, they did it on Ares's behalf. It didn't matter what I did. They always compared me to him, even after he was gone. So if we met him on the battlefield, and if my soldiers betray us, then our forces would be trouble._

_But...at the same time I can't do nothing. Everyone is depending on me. Somehow I need to find a way to convince them to follow me._

The shuttle lights flashed overhead.

"It looks like we're landing..." Rei muttered and then peered out the window again. The uneasiness in her stomach intensified. It was so bad that she was tempted to call Minako, but she was sure that the other woman was dealing with problems of her own at that moment.

_Ares...I wondered if he really intended to make me his heir or if he did it just for kicks. Because the moment he taught me this 'power'..._

Rei heard the overhead intercom inform the woman that they had docked near the Ram Palace. She stood and moved for the door.

_...He sentenced me to death. _

(Courtyard, Rei)

Rei stepped out of the shuttle to find the courtyard empty. She peered around in confusion.

"That's strange..." _I told Zen that I would be coming back today... Where is he?_ If her first officer was too busy to greet her, then he should have sent someone else in his stead. Or at the very least, she expected Nozomi to greet her. However, Rei had a funny feeling that this wasn't a simple matter of forgetfulness. Something was wrong.

The Commander walked into the palace and eventually arrived at the great doors that bore Mar's insignia. Without hesitation, she threw them open. Inside, she found her first officer, Zen, and an unusually large number of soldiers in full gear awaiting her arrival. The man was holding the royal Martian sword; the very one she had given to him for safe keeping while they were on Uranus.

_That's strange… _She scanned the faces. _All of the people here are squad captains. If they were going to greet me, then why didn't they come outside and do it?_

"Zen."

"Welcome back Sir Rei. We've been expecting you."

His attitude was polite enough, but Rei wasn't quite convinced. "Why are all of the squad captains here? Aren't all of you supposed to be carrying out your training sessions for the day?"

"...Well...We all missed you so much that I couldn't keep them away. Besides, there was something that we all wanted to ask you." He saw the woman narrow her eyes. "Why did you decide to come back? You were gone for quite some time, so we were wondering what might have happened to you. Did you come back for...this?"

"That's ridiculous." Rei retorted. "I didn't come back here for some sword."

"Then why are you here?" There was a strange light in his eyes as he asked this.

Rei took a deep breath. She was never more aware of the sword sheathed against her side. This was now or never.

"I have come to claim the throne... as the new ruler of Mars!"

There was an uneasy silence that fell over the room as the words left her mouth. However, Zen hardly batted an eye at the declaration.

"Commander... Do you understand what you're saying? If you truly intend to do this, then you must defeat Ares in a match. Otherwise, it would be considered as treason. Even you would not be exempted from the law."

His words irked the woman. _Yeah, like you're one to talk! Weren't you the one who wanted me to take over in the first place?_

"If you haven't noticed, Ares has been away for some time now. I hate to break it to all of you, but he isn't coming back! He isn't the same ruler that you all knew! Listen, at this very moment, there is a war going on. A war that is even bigger than the invasion of Uranus! And Ares is the enemy. If you encounter him on the battlefield he would kill all of you without a second's hesitation."

"Is that so? And you think you're suddenly entitled to become the new ruler because of this? Why should we follow you? You know, even if you self-proclaim yourself to be the ruler, you won't become a God. You won't suddenly have his power."

Her answer was about to surprise her subordinate.

"I don't need it." She said. "I'm already more than powerful enough to lead!"

"Then prove IT!"

Zen lifted up the Martian sword and charged forward at his Commander. Rei calmly watched him close the distance and stepped back as he swung down. Zen kept swinging hard at the woman, but Rei seemed to be dodging each other the strike with considerable ease.

"Hah! Hah! HAH!"

_**Slash—**_

_**Slash—**_

"...Hah!" He swung down but this time Rei countered. She booted the sword straight out of his hands, making him turn his head to watch it slid across the room in shock. He was about to be more shocked when she shoved a hand in his face. There was a dangerous red energy crackling in her palm.

Zen's eyes widened and she could clearly see the fear in his eyes.

"I don't have time for this."

"Huh--"

_**CRACKLE!**_

_**BAM!**_

"GaHH!!" Zen was catapulted across the room and hit the room. As Rei began to walk over to the man, she could hear the squad captains whispering to one another.

"Did you see that?"

"She took him down so fast, and without even drawing her sword..."

"And that's supposed to be the number one medic?"

"...What a joke."

"If I seem to recall...there was one other rule on Mars that was held above all else," Their commander said as she passed by the Martian sword and came to stop in front of him. He shuddered when their dark eyes met. "Strength is everything." She looked up and peered around the room with a piercing gaze. "Is there anyone _else _who thinks I need to prove myself?"

Her question was met by silence.

"Let me make something clear. I could beat all of you in this room, and the entire Martian army but that won't stop Ares! Now, the choice is simple. Do you all want to live, or will you let yourselves be destroyed?"

Rei thought she heard a sound from the floor, and turned her attention to her first officer. "What?"

"Geh...K-Kill me." He struggled up onto his knees but remained bowed low. Rei turned around to face him. "...You've won. I've disgraced myself and my rank, so just end it. All I can ask is that you make it quick."

"Why should I kill you?"

"Because, it's exactly what Sir Ares would--"

"I'm not Ares." Rei said firmly. Her words were met by shocked gazes from everyone in the room. With utmost seriousness in her eyes, she then added, "I'm better."

For a moment, no one said anything. In one of the rows of soldiers, one of the men looked to his commander and then briefly glanced around at his comrades. There were serious looks on their faces, but no one was doing anything. A little nervous, the man then stepped forward. All eyes were on him as he approached the woman. When he began to draw his sword out, some of his comrades gasped and gaped as this display of brazen courage. That or he was a downright fool; if the top medic was defeated in less than fifteen seconds, then someone of their rank had no chance.

Rei steadily stared the man down as he continued to hold his sword up against her. When it felt like a fight was about to erupt, the soldier suddenly lowered his arms and dropped his sword to the floor in front of her.

_**Clink.**_

The other soldiers looked around at each other. Soon another followed up and also dropped their sword in front of her, and then another. Eventually all of them had offered their swords to her.

Rei turned her head when she felt a tap at her shoulder. Zen had gotten up sometime during the display and had retrieved the Martian sword. To the woman's amazement, the man got down on one knee and offered the sword up.

"I believe this is yours...Your Majesty..."

Without hesitation, she reached out and took it.

(Sometime later)

After the squad captains had left, Rei and Zen were left alone in the throne room. Rei had fallen quiet in deep thought. The Martian sword was lying to one side of her, while Zen was sitting to the other side.

"You know, I knew you could do it."

"What?" Rei shot him a look. When she saw the happy smile on his face, she had to ask, "You don't mean... you were trying to get on my nerves on purpose, were you?"

"It was pretty good, wasn't it?"

"You idiot! I could have killed you! What, with the way you were begging like that..."

"Yes, and I'm very grateful you didn't. But you know I was able to do it because I knew that you wouldn't." This earned an annoyed expression from the woman. "You could have killed me a long time ago, but you didn't, even though you had every right to. In any case, I think you'd make a great ruler...Your Highness."

_You were right. Strength used to mean everything on Mars. But, did you know that it wasn't the reason why they continued to follow you...?_

The former Commander sighed. "Please. Your sentimentality is killing me Zen..."

"Ahahaha!! Well, that won't do! You just became a ruler! So, what's going to be your first command?"

_**Creeeeeeak.**_

The doors to the throne room suddenly opened and revealed Nozomi looking a little out of breath. The girl caught sight of the first officer and looked positively livid.

"You!" She marched up to Zen, grabbed him by the collar of his armor and began to shake him vigorously. "You. Stupid. IDIOT!!!!!! What in the Mars were you thinking?! I'm surprised that you're actually still alive! And for locking me up like that ooh!! I'm going to make you wish you were dead! Oh, and hi Sir Rei."

"A-A-A-ct—ual-ly...she's the r-ruler now..."

"What?" She girl stopped shaking him, and then shot Rei a questioning look. "So...what does that mean?"

A thought suddenly came to the Martian, and her lips curved up into a smirk.

"...Babysitting." Rei finally said at last. Zen's eyes widened at the implication.

"No...Oh no! You can't mean that!"

"Ta ta...Have fun you two."

"W-Wait! Sir Rei! Your Majesty!" He was stopped when Nozomi dragged him down to look her in the eye.

As Rei walked out of the throne room, she could hear Zen's girly screams all the way down the corridor. She didn't know why, but for some reason she was in a good mood today.

**

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**Next up in HFD, Ch. 33: Ruler pt 3**

**After her little city escapade, Minako suddenly finds her hands effectively tied. The people are demanding that she should become their next ruler! But with the prospect of addressing them formally for the first time, will she present herself as the Captain that they have come to adore or the phantom heir who they thought had abandoned them? **

"_**Hey, can I ask you something Rei?"**_

"_**What is it?"**_

"_**If I didn't become queen, would you hate me?"**_


	33. Ruler: part 3

**Disclaimer:** **I do not own Sailor Moon**

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(Venus, Cupid Palace, Minako)

Sometime later in the day, Minako returned to her mother's room. The woman slipped through the door, closing it softly behind her, and proceeded over to the bed. She peered at it for a moment, recalling when she had laid here in recovery after the incident; the memory saddened her, but at the same time it made her happy to know that everyone came for her.

Minako climbed onto the bed and fell down onto the sheets, inhaling deeply, and sighed happily. She was sore and exhausted from her work earlier that day, but she never felt more content. Minako lay there for a few minutes, feeling herself about to drift off to sleep until she snuggled further into the sheets and realized that there was something was hidden beneath the blanket.

_Hm? _She swore that her foot hit something. _What's that?_

Minako reached over and pulled a fistful of blankets away to see a sheathed sword. There was a note on it.

"_Minako."_

She stared at the sword in confusion. _Is this for me?_ A knock came at the door and she rushed to hide the weapon again in surprise.

_**Knock, knock.**_

"Yes?"

"Lady Minako? It's Taya. May I come in?"

_Oh. _"Yes, of course!"

A smile lit Minako's face as the woman entered the room. Despite her fatigue, she couldn't resist getting up and giving her friend a big hug.

"I missed you!" She laughed as they briefly embraced. "And wow...you look...uhh..."

Taya arched an eyebrow at that. "Old? I wouldn't finish that if I were you, young Miss."

"Hah, I was going to say tired, but okay. That works too! Hey. Don't look at me like that, you did that yourself."

Taya placed her hands on her hips and shot the girl a reproachful look. Minako briefly glanced down at the clipboard in one of her hands and noticed that it happened to be stuffed to the brim with papers. She was almost as bad as Luna.

"C'mon...turn that smile upside down." Minako grinned and gestured.

She couldn't help it. What had meant to be a smile came out like a half-snort. "...That was terrible. You got it all wrong."

"Nope! I got it right. You smiled." She winked.

Taya couldn't fight that logic. "In any case, it is good to see you again My Lady. I would have come sooner, but I was tied up in a meeting.

"...Yeah? I think Sapphro mentioned something about it earlier."

"Did he now?"

"Mhmm. But he never actually said what it was about. From the sounds of it... a lot has happened while I was away."

"...You...could say that." Taya frowned. She caught the mischievous look on Minako's face and before she could open her mouth, she quipped, "Please try to be serious, My Lady. This is no laughing matter."

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it... So, what were you about to say?" Her excitement died away when she saw the serious expression. "Did...something bad happen?"

"...Perhaps. Lady Minako?" She was surprised when Minako suddenly grasped her hands and led her over to the bed where she sat them both down.

"I'm sorry... It's just, you really do look tired. I thought you might feel better if you sat down."

"But, this is Her Majesty's..."

"It's fine. Trust me." The words seemed to have their desired effect because the tactician appeared to calm down a little. "Taya...before I say anything else, I just want you to know that I appreciate everything that you've done for me. Not just for back then, but for now as well. Believe me...even while I was gone, I felt really guilty for leaving you with all of this. You're all worn out on my account. But I'm here now. I want you to know that I am taking you seriously, and that I'll listen to anything you want to say. You're my friend... So, please...tell me everything that's happened while I was away. I need to know."

Taya appeared to be somewhat hesitant still, but the look of determination in her charge's eyes made her stare in wonder. It had happened again.

_She's changed again..._

"All right," she finally said. "To be honest, the reason that I was late was not because of the morning meeting. It was the second one."

It took a moment for Minako to realize what she had said. "You mean you went to two meetings today?"

When her friend met her eye, Minako suddenly felt like she was being put on the spot. She signed in relief when the woman turned her piercing gaze away.

"Yes. You see… after you left, the people eventually found out about Her Majesty and Lord Eleutherios's fate. They immediately took to the streets and began to riot. It took almost every able-bodied man we had to calm them down. I had intended to keep the news withdrawn from the public until you had returned home, however...it appears that privacy can be difficult when you have so many palace staff." Minako could detect some annoyance in her voice, but she didn't press it. "As a result, the number of injured increased significantly, and its putting an even greater strain on our system. To put it simply...Venus was never properly equipped for war. There were so many injured during the battle, and now this! The meeting this morning was called to address our shortage of medical supplies."

"Oh." _Should I tell her that it isn't a problem anymore? But if I do, she'll know that I wandered off again._ Already Minako could hear her guardian launching off into another lecture.

_Maybe-I-should-just-stay-quiet-after-all._

"If that wasn't bad enough," Taya continued, "sometime during the meeting a messenger barged in screaming his head off that there was a strange being within the Capital. My first inclination was to think that we were being attacked, but apparently that wasn't the case. He claimed that a saviour or an 'angel' had descended upon us. When I confronted him on the topic, he described her as a woman bathed in a golden light, that she was performing miracles, curing the sick and the injured without asking for anything in return."

Minako gulped. _An 'angel'? C'mon, isn't that going a bit too far?_

"Umm...Sounds interesting?" She warily eyed the tactician as stood up and began to pace around in front of her.

"Indeed. I'll let you know that the incident has created quite the ruckus. Even as I speak, there is practically a mob outside the palace gates. When I inquired a guard about the disturbance he said that the people were demanding to see the 'captain'. Apparently, the citizens claim that this individual was a commanding officer of our military ranks, but they had no other name to go by. If you can believe it, they are calling for this 'captain' person to become the next ruler."

Taya stopped pacing, adjusted her glasses, and stared Minako directly in the eye.

"Can you explain this to me…Captain?"

Minako went pale, and braced herself for the lecture. But when it didn't come, she realized that Taya was serious.

"W-Well... I was just waiting for you, but then someone said they needed my help... And then, it just kind of snowballed from there. I didn't mean to cause more trouble for you...I'm sorry."

Taya's eyes softened and she sighed. "I know you meant well, but this does complicate the situation for you. The people now believe that they are asking someone other than their rightful ruler to ascend to the throne. If we tell them the truth, there is the small chance that it may create some resentment despite what you've done for them. On the other hand, if you present yourself as the captain, you will forever lose an important piece of your identity. And, on top of that...this forces your official appearance to happen quicker than I had anticipated."

"Taya..." The regret in her friend's voice made Minako's heart ache.

"Why did you come back?" She heard her former student gasp behind her, and slowly turned around to face her. "If you had wanted it, you could have disappeared forever. You could have cut your ties to Venus, and gone wherever you pleased. You could have lived a normal life."

_What are you saying?_

"The people would never have found out. We could have told them that the entire royal family had perished that day."

"Wait, I don't understand. You mean, you would have lied to them for me? But why?"

In the background, a faint sound of noises could be heard in the distance.

"Lady Minako... If you wish to, it's still not too late. You can still turn back."

"What?"

"You don't have to become the new ruler if you don't want to. It won't change the fact that you're a Goddess, but at the very least you can live life the way you want."

_...Taya..._ The woman's word reminded her of the first time she had met Rei and the others.

Minako shook her head. "No. I didn't come back here just to run away again!"

"My Lady--"

"Taya--you knew ever since the incident... that this would have to happen someday. So why are you trying so hard to stop me now?"

"...Because you're my friend." She said sharply, and silenced her. "It's true. I was well aware that this day may come the moment I laid eyes on you after Her Majesty's death." In the woman's vision, she could see a strong, golden aura around the Goddess. "You may already be aware of this, but Her Majesty's power resides within you. No matter what anyone says, youare the rightful heir."

Minako felt her heart skip a beat. "But Eros..."

"Lady Minako. Please come here. There is something that you need to see..." Taya beckoned the young woman to the window. When she pulled aside the curtains, the entrance of the courtyard could be seen in clear sight. Minako felt her eyes go wide and her breath, quicken. At the palace gate there was a large crowd of people that spread across the hill the palace was built upon. Was the entire city here?

Her guardian had anticipated Minako's reaction, and felt partially overwhelmed herself by the situation.

"Do you see them?" She asked her. "They are all here because of you, regardless of who you presented yourself to be. Your Mother, Lady Aphrodite...also chose you."

_**Lubb Dubb**_

Suddenly, Minako looked vulnerable. There was a hint of uncertainty at what was to come.

"Do you understand, My Lady? Although it's true that Lord Eleutherios was the intended heir, this is the reality of things. If you choose to ascend to the throne, you will be required to address them. Also, you would be expected to put their needs ahead of yours from this point on. In my personal opinion...I think it would be a terrible, heavy burden to put on your shoulders since you are still very young."

_Even for someone such as Lord Eleutherios, this would be..._

"However... I would like to make it clear that this is your choice and yours alone. Whether you decide to become their ruler, or walk away from this... Regardless of what your choice will be, you will continue to have my full support."

"Taya..." Minako was at a loss for words. For a moment, she thought she was going to cry. "I--I really don't know what to say."

Taya smiled back. "You don't have to say anything. For now, I would find a quiet place and just think things over until you are ready."

"But, what about them?"

They both turned their gazes back to the crowd. The guards in front of the gate were starting to have trouble keeping them calm.

"I will go out and meet with them."

"What?"

"As the substitute ruler, it is my duty to address the people's concerns. But please don't worry... I will only ask that they be patient and wait until you have made your decision. If they are truly serious about wanting you to become their leader, then they will wait, even if only for a little bit. I'm afraid this is all I can do for you at the moment."

"No. Don't apologize." Minako surprised her friend and gave her another hug. "This is more than enough. Thank you."

"...It's no trouble at all."

_When you've made your decision, come to the Audience Chamber._

Minako watched Taya leave and reappear down in the courtyard below to quell the masses. She had to admit that Taya was right; after seeing so many people at once, it had startled her terribly. She needed a quiet place to think, and she just knew where to go.

Minako past the bed and picked up her communicator. As she was about to leave, she suddenly remembered the sword she had hidden under the bed covers. Without really thinking about it, she picked that up as well before she left the room.

(Palace Garden)

Minako had eventually found herself in front of the royal gardens once again. It was in considerably worse shape than when she had seen it last. Some of the walls that held a few of the flowers beds had collapsed, spilling flowers and roots alike on the brick pathways, and a few of the pathways had been ripped out altogether. The flowers in the plots that appeared to be relatively unscathed were largely trampled—it was as though a child and a group of his friends had stomped around on them, but Minako knew better; this place was like the others. Nothing had been left untouched by the war.

The woman eventually made her way to the far end, preparing herself for what she may see, but sighed in deep relief to find that her sister's plot was still intact.

"Whew...They're all right." She smiled. It was one thing less to worry about.

Minako sat herself down on a patch of dirt, right where a row of plots used to be. She knew her friend had told her to sit down and think, but now that she was trying to think nothing was quite coming to mind.

_This would be easier if I had someone to talk to. _Rei's face instantly came to mind. Minako took out her communicator and stared at the machine for a moment. _Well, she diiiiiid say that I could call. And if she's busy, she just won't pick up._

Minako inputted the channel, and watched the screen light up.

**…**_**Channel secured… opening transmission…**_

_**Bleep!**_

Minako was momentarily surprised when Rei's projection showed up. But she was even more surprised because the woman appeared to be in a strangely good mood.

"Hey. Well, this is a bit of a surprise. I didn't expect you to call. Did something happen?" She heard Rei ask. In the background, she could hear distinct shouting.

"Umm...Well, kind of...But, before we get to that, what's that in the background?"

"Hm?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong but...is someone is screaming?"

She saw Rei smirk. That was never a good sign. "I don't know what you're talking about." For an instant, Minako could have sworn that she saw the Martian's first officer fly through the background. Was there something chasing him?

"Is that Zen?"

"Maybe." Rei turned her head for a moment, but then shrugged. "He and Nozomi are just playing, so it's nothing to worry about. Anyway," she turned her attention back to the blonde, "what did you want to talk about?"

"Oh, well...You know. I was just wondering how you were doing."

"Oh. Well, as you can see, everything is going well."

"You mean it worked out okay?"

"Mhm. It's just like I told you. It wasn't a problem at all."

"I see."

It felt like someone had burst her bubble; Minako thought she should be happier for the woman, but now she felt like she was falling behind. Out of their group of friends, she figured she was holding them back.

Rei seemed to notice the suddenly dip in the blonde's attitude. "Why? How are things going with you?"

There was a silence on Minako's end as she racked her brains for the best way to explain things. In the end, she just gave up.

"Not so good." She finally admitted.

"What? What do you mean? Nothing bad happened did it?"

"No. Not exactly," Minako assured her. "I'm not really sure I would call it bad. It's just...I did something, and now everyone wants me to be the ruler."

"Okay? I won't ask you what you did but...what's the problem then? Are you starting to have second thoughts about this?"

Minako absent-mindedly picked up the sword she had brought with her and leaned it against her shoulder. Rei eyed the weapon with mild interest and then looked back to Minako. She was clearly distracted by something but the Martian didn't know what.

"So, where did you get the sword? I thought you were just going to use your chains in battle from now on."

"Hm? Well, I do. It's just...It's kind of a long story. I just feel comfortable when I hold it, that's all."

Rei seemed to nod her head in understanding. "I suppose I can understand that."

Minako tapped the sword for a moment and looked at the seedlings before her. "Hey. You know how I had a lot of siblings right?"

"...Yeah." Rei wasn't sure where this was going, but she decided to play along anyway.

"Aside from Eros, there was one other person that I was remotely close to. I had an older sister named Marie. When we were younger, we would pass the time by planting flowers. They're right there. See?"

Rei shot her a look.

"What?"

"It's a one way projection Mina. Unless you turn your communicator around then I can't..."

"Oh! Sorry." She laughed at herself and turned the machine around. "There, do you see them now? They're right over there."

"You mean those seedlings? Yeah, but it doesn't look like they've quite grown yet."

"Yeah," she nodded. "They're what we'd call, 'late bloomers'. That's because they're always bloom later than the others. In any case, I was in the city today and it got me thinking about my sister. You know...she died on the battlefield, just like Eros."

"..."

"When I thought about it, it got me thinking about the war again. Like, how many people are going to lose their lives when we fight? Do we really have any chance of winning?"

"I don't know." Rei replied. "But I do know that if we don't fight back, our enemy won't stop until he gets what he wants. When you look at it, we really don't have much of a choice in the matter."

_We don't have a choice? _She thought back to Taya's words. _That's right...Even if I ran away now, nothing would get better. Ares and Apollo would just hunt all of us down, no matter where we go. _

The knowledge seemed to limit her choices to just one, but somehow it gave little comfort.

"Even if we don't have a choice in the matter, doesn't it make you even a little nervous? You're responsible for everyone's lives and, what if you make a mistake? Setsuna wants us all to become rulers so that we can strengthen our forces but even after the war is over we'll still be the rulers. It just doesn't end there."

"That's right." Rei said. The confidence in her voice startled Minako. "When you become the leader of a people you can't just go back and forth whenever you feel like it. It's a lifelong commitment."

"It almost sound like marriage," the blonde chuckled.

"I'm serious!"

"I know. I know...I'm listening. It's just, I know it's obvious and I know what I need to do, but the idea of speaking in front of so many people all at once is kind of nerve wracking."

"Oh, so you have to give a speech?"

"Kinda." Minako sighed. "Hey, can I ask you something Rei?"

"What is it?"

"If I didn't become queen, would you hate me?"

There was a long silence. Minako was afraid to see how the woman would react, so she looked away at first, but when she finally looked back she could see a deep, contemplative look on the Martian's face.

"I don't think it would be a matter of liking or hating at that point." Rei finally said. "I mean, there are many ways at looking at it. If you don't become the ruler, then someone else will but there's no guarantee that the person will qualified to fill the role. Also, aside from the obvious fact that Venus may not join our fight against Apollo, would you really be happy with yourself?"

_Huh?_

"After fighting with us all this way, would you really be satisfied with walking away from everything now? Besides, for what it's worth...I think you'd make a great ruler."

"Really? You aren't just saying that because of what I said before, are you?"

"I don't say things that I don't mean." Rei retorted. "But why are _you _surprised? Do you really have that little confidence in yourself? Really Mina, I swear! If it's not one thing it's another with you! Before, you used to worry about becoming stronger, and now you're stronger aren't you? You're strong enough to protect anybody you want to." Her gaze then softened. "But... just because a person is strong, it doesn't mean that they would be a good ruler. You have to care about your people, and I know you do. I've seen you shed tears and worry yourself sick over this. If you really, and I mean _really _feel that you won't be a good leader, then that's your choice. But I'd still tell you that you're wrong."

_I believe in you._

Rei was surprised when Minako started laughing out loud. "W-What so funny?"

"It's nothing. Really..." The woman wiped away the tears from her eyes, and sniffed. Somehow, Rei looked skeptical. "Well, it's just...you're really blunt, aren't you?"

_You're the only one who scolded me for even thinking about running away. In a way, my shoulders feel almost lighter somehow._

"It's no wonder I fell in love with you." She saw Rei turn a deep shade of crimson.

"A-Anyway... Is that all you wanted to talk about?"

"...Yeah. Oh, actually, there was one other thing."

"Yes?"

"These flowers... I don't think they'll bloom before we go and fight." Behind her, the wind began to shift. "When everything is over...Would you come and watch them with me?"

_**...fwooooOOOOoooosssh...**_

"...Sure."

"You promise?"

"Promise."

After she turned off her communicator, Minako stood up with the sword in her hand. She spared one last glance at the samplings before she finally turned around and headed back towards the palace.

_I've made my decision._

(Cupid Palace)

Minako marched back into the palace and began to make her way towards the Audience Chamber. Somewhere along the way, she heard the beginnings of voices.

The Venusian made it to the doors of the Audience Chamber when she ran across Sapphro. The man had been standing there as if he had been waiting for someone.

"Minako!" He greeted her.

"Sapphro? What are you doing here? Where's Taya?"

"Ah, well, she's a bit busy at the moment, so she asked me to wait here for you. Anyway! I guess if you're here, that must mean that you've made a decision. So kiddo...? Lay it on me. What do you plan to do?"

She steadily met his eyes. "I'll succeed my mother and become the new ruler!"

Sapphro just smiled at that. "Yeah, I kinda figured as much. Anyway! Taya is waiting up ahead... We're all waiting for you," he winked and then began to lead the way.

For a moment, Minako just gaped at him. _That jerk! You can at least pretend to act surprised! _She almost wanted to ambush him from behind but that wouldn't be a very Goddess-like thing to do, would it?

The two changed course and continued to climb higher and higher into the palace, while the entire time the shouts became louder.

Halfway up their climb, Sapphro kept shooting glances over at the woman. Eventually, he said,

"So, I guess you received it without a problem."

"Huh?" Mianko looked up. She then followed his gaze to the sword. "Oh, you mean this? I found it on Mother's bed. Were you...the one who left it for me?"

"...Maybe."

"But why...? You know, I don't need a sword to fight anymore. My powers are a lot stronger than they used to be."

They both came to a stop.

"...Sapphro?"

"That's true. Since you inherited your mother's powers, you are stronger. But...I didn't give you that sword because I thought you needed one to fight. I gave it to you because I thought you needed _that _sword."

"I'm afraid I don't quite follow..."

"Look at the hilt. Do you see anything on it?"

"Umm...Well, not really..." Minako furrowed her brow in confusion. _Is there something I'm supposed to be looking for specifically? _As she analyzed it, she noticed Venus's insignia engraved on it but then again she saw that everywhere. Finally, she gave up. "I give up Sapphro. What are you talking about?"

"You mean you didn't see your planet's insignia?" Sapphro's blue eyes twinkled when he saw the look of surprise on her face.

"Huh?"

He couldn't help but laugh at that. "You're probably thinking 'so what', right? Well, I guess that's normal, considering that you grew up around the palace. A planet's insignia is like a royal crest. You're probably used to seeing it, but most people aren't. So, since it's on that sword, that must mean..."

Minako fell silent. _It can't be._

"Have you figured it out?" He calmly asked.

"You don't mean...that it belonged to Eros, do you?"

"That's right. It was your brother's sword. I wasn't able to do anything for him, but...if he were here, right now... I think he would like you to have it."

"...Thank you." She smiled. "It means a lot to me."

Sapphro nodded back and they continued along their way. It wasn't long before they reached the top floor. In the highest corridor of the palace, there was a small doorway at its middle. A set of red curtains draped to either side of the circular archway, acting as an entrance to a narrow, dimly lit tunnel inside. It wasn't particularly long; they could already see the end from the entrance. Sapphro and Minako walked through the space and walked straight into small but brightly lit room. It appeared to be connected to a balcony in the very front. As Sapphro had promised, Taya was waiting there for them. Since the last time Minako had seen her, the woman appeared to have aged a few years in a matter of hours.

"Hey Taya! Been waiting long?" Sapphro shouted over to her. As she turned around and began to reprimand him, Minako's ears perked up. The voices were the loudest up here. As she listened, she could clearly make out the word 'captain' amidst the shouts.

"...Captain! Bring out the Captain!"

_Are they really calling for me? _Minako was getting butterflies in her stomach just thinking about it.

"Lady Minako…" Taya approached her. There was a very serious expression on her face. "Have you made your decision? Sapphro didn't force you to come here, did he?"

"No, he didn't. I chose to come here on my own accord."

"I see. So then, that means..." He voice was suddenly cut off when loud shouts could be heard in the corridor outside. A handful of the elite guards within the room exchanged glances and then ran out to see what the disturbance was about.

"Please let me through! I need to speak with the Captain!" A familiar voice pleaded.

Minako's eyes widened. _That couldn't be, could it?! _She remembered the trio of guards she had met with earlier. There was only one person who was that persistent.

"Minako!"

Minako ran outside into the corridor and turned her head towards the good of guards. "Captain!" Approximately halfway down the hallway, she spotted Render and his two friends being barred by a line of the elite guard. The young man stood on his tip-toes to try and get a better look at the Goddess, but one of the guards promptly shoved him back.

"Oof!"

"Render! Are you all right?" Ernest caught him.

"Y-Yeah...I'm fine. Thanks."

"I strongly advise that the three of you leave now," the head guard said sternly at a distance away. "If you continue to persist, then you will be punished!"

"No! I swear I'm telling the truth! I know the Captain!"

"Just like the rest of the mob outside, I'm sure!" He retorted. "Do not let them pass!"

"Wait!" Render bit back when he saw the line of soldiers took the neutral stance. If they even took one step forward, he was sure they would draw their swords on them in an instant.

_I don't understand! Why is the elite guard here with the Captain? Aren't they supposed to be loyal to the royal family?! _

Render drew down into a squat as the rest of his teammates also prepared themselves. It looked like a fight was about to ensue when someone shouted,

"Stop! Don't hurt them!" Minako commanded the men. The head of the elite guard looked shocked.

"What?! But—with all due respect, they could be rogue soldiers!"

"It's all right. I will see him. Let him and his men through!"

The head guard didn't appear too pleased with the order, but he followed it nonetheless. With a gesture of his hand, his troops obediently parted to the sides. Squad RED didn't waste any time. The trio ran up to the Goddess and dropped to one knee.

"Our thanks to you, Captain!" Render bellowed out. Behind Minako, Taya and Sapphro were shooting curious glances at the three soldiers while their comrades shot them looks of disdain.

"Do you know them?" Taya inquired the to-be ruler.

"Yes, they were a part of the squad that I commanded during the invasion. Also, I've met with them earlier today. When I went to the city they acted as my escorts." She returned her attention to the soldiers and noted the beads of sweat forming on their leader's face. "Render. Why have you come here?"

"Before I say anything, Sir, I would like to offer you my thanks again on behalf of the people you helped today! ...And...For what you did for my grandmother, you also have my personal thanks." Minako patiently waited until he gathered enough breath to continue. "But there is something that I need to ask you... The people outside are clamouring for you to take up the throne as our new leader. Will you do it? Will you accept the position?!"

Minako blinked. "You came all the way here just to ask me that?" That was when a thought hit her. "Why is it so important to you? What would you do if I did accept the position?"

"If… If you did…" He bit his bottom lip. Despite his armor Minako could see that he was trembling from some internal conflict. "With all due respect Sir, I believe that I speak for my squad when I say that we believe you are more than qualified for the position. You truly care about our people, and have come to our aid when we were at a loss... more than once in fact… However! While we joined the military to protect our homes, didn't we also swear an oath to protect the royal family as well? By taking up the position of ruler now, even though there is a chance that the true successor is still out there... wouldn't that be considered treason?!"

"Render."

"We all swore an oath to Her Majesty, Aphrodite's family! Therefore, Sir… If you should take the position now, I will not stop you. BUT!" As he said this, his voice shook. "But if the successor to the royal family is ever found… then I cannot guarantee that we will not clash in the near future. For this, I offer my apologies, Sir!"

Minako found herself speechless.

_Wow. I really can't believe it... Their dedication goes as far as this? _She noticed Ernest, the very man who had argued against searching for the heir also bowing in agreement. _Even if I wasn't the appointed successor to the throne, if it was another person, they would still fight against their superiors for someone they've never met?_

"I understand."

Render's head shot up. "Sir?"

"I commend your dedication. It's admirable." Minako smiled, and then walked back into the room.

"Wait! What do you mean--" He rose to his feet, but was stopped by a firm hand on his arm. Render gasped. "L-Lady Taya? But...why is the substitute ruler allowing this? Are you really okay with this?!"

The tactician's eyes were trained on her charge now; the young Goddess was a mere step from leaving her cover, from making her appearance.

"Lady Taya?"

"If you are loyal to the former Queen's family like you say you are, then I ask that you give the 'captain' a chance. Watch and listen carefully. You may even learn something."

Minako stopped just outside of the balcony and swallowed hard. A steady stream light was beaming through the open doorway and the voices beyond it were louder than she last heard them. It seemed that the crowd was becoming restless. Behind her, she could also feel multitude of gazes intensely watching her back.

She was trembling inside.

"_Now, tell me... what's the problem? What's bothering my little sister?" _

"… _I only met you, and I'm already making a fool of myself."_

_No. That's not it. The problem is... I'm scared..._

_**fwoooOOOooossssh…**_

……………………_.……..Minako…………._

She blinked when she felt a tug on her hand.

_Huh? Is it just my imagination or... why does it feel like someone is holding my hand?_

She didn't know why, but Minako allowed herself to be pulled from the shadows and into the light where she was exposed for all to see. Instantly! The crowd erupted into enthusiastic cheers that were so loud that they were deafening.

_**RAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!**_

The invisible force released the young woman's hand, and Minako shakily gripped onto the balcony railing for support. It was a breathtaking sight, far different than what she had anticipated from the shadows. Out here, in the sunlight where the wind played with her golden hair, a realization hit her.

_This must be how my Mother felt when she addressed her people… _

…_From this same place…_

…_Exactly like this…_

From inside, the thin silhouette of a longhaired woman caught Render's attention. He blinked and rubbed his eyes. In the instant he lost sight of it, it was gone.

_T-That's weird… for a moment, I thought I saw a shadow behind the captain…_

Minako inhaled deeply, and then tilted her head upward towards the blue sky. Immediately she was filled with awe at its expansiveness; it stretched further than the crowd below her, over her entire planet. If one were up there, how far could one possibly see? Those who passed on from this life, from this world of sorrow and joy, were they watching now?

_What would you tell me… if you were here, Marie?_

The sun briefly flickered behind the clouds, and Minako raised her hand for silence.

"Everyone!" She tested her voice. "Everyone, please listen to me!"

The crowd hushed…

"My name… is Venus, Minako! I am the youngest child of the former Queen Aphrodite!"

Inside the castle beside Taya, Render nearly fell over in astonishment. The man wasn't quite sure if he heard correctly.

"Y-You mean… She's the survivor?!"

_The captain was the remaining member of the royal family? She's one we've been searching for all this time?_

Taya turned to him and regarded him calmly.

"Young man… do you not find it odd how a person can heal as many as she did in such a short time span? Or the fact that she has the ability to heal at all?"

Render recalled back to earlier that day when his grandmother was made well. There actually had been something unusual that had caught his attention.

"I remember that there was a strange light…" He confessed. "I didn't know what it was, but maybe, I just didn't care. She was helping people, and that was all that mattered to me."

"A Goddess can heal others at the expense of their own strength. What she did today was a very reckless thing to do, but… that is the type of person Lady Minako is."

"Lady Minako..." The man repeated the name, the Goddess's true name.

_When we needed her she appeared out of nowhere to help us. Back then, it was our fault for not staying focused, for not remembering our duty. It was our fault for not realizing anything then…_

His earlier worries disappeared and a sad relief flooded into his heart.

_I'm glad. Even though we won't be able to hang out together anymore, I'm glad that she's the true successor...Truly. With all my heart! _

"You know, I...I've always wanted to become part of the elite guard. A lowly soldier like myself isn't permitted to be in the presence of the royal family...but... it was my hope that, someday, I would be able to speak with them and protect them personally. It was a dream of mine..."

"And you have." He turned his head in surprise. "You have spoken with a member of the royal family quite a bit, or at least from what I have heard. You escorted My Lady to the city capital today, did you not?" She watched the youth weakly nod his head. "Although you did not know who she was, you still believed in her. That type of loyalty is rare, and is essential for our members of the elite guard."

"Lady Taya, just what are you saying?"

Their eyes met.

"Please continue to protect My Lady... as you always have…"

_**Lubb dubb!**_

_As part of the elite guard?_

Tears blurred Render's vision in overwhelming gratitude. Even Dael and Ernest were lost for words as they tried to support their friend. However, it was not over yet; Minako hadn't finished yet.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't there for all of you earlier. But I am here now, and there is something that I need to tell you." She took a deep breath. "The enemy who attacked us, and killed the late Queen is still at large!"

A murmur flew through the crowd.

"I understand that many of you would rather not fight again, and I will not force you! But as long as we sit idly by and do nothing, then it's guaranteed that there will be more unwanted battles! There will be more unnecessary deaths! That is why... I believe we should join forces with the other planets and fight back! Although I may not be worthy of your trust... please lend me your strength. If you won't do it for a ruler, then do it for yourselves!"

Minako's plea rang throughout the area, echoing against the walls and back faintly to her ears. Her hands pressed against the balcony's railing, barely keeping a grip on the slippery, marble surface as she silently pleaded with her people; she had said everything she could say, and now she waited for their answer.

A faint humming caught in the woman's ears first, quickly followed by quick movements below. While she waited for the possible rejection, she registered another familiar sound.

…_Clapping…?_

_**RAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!**_

Inside, Render weakly lifted his head and smiled at the Goddess's surprised expression.

_What's that face for? Even if you were gone for a long time, you still came back to us. You helped us when we needed you... That's all that matters._

Minako's knees went weak upon hearing their response. She was so happy that she wasn't sure if she should laugh or cry.

_**Bleep! Bleep!**_

An insistent noise dragged the Venusian out of the clouds; Minako's communicator was detecting multiple incoming calls. Without hesitation she simultaneously opened all channels. In a blink of an eye, all around the balcony from where she stood, six different projection windows popped up and within each of those panels they depicted the other planet rulers also addressing their people. Haruka, Michiru, Ami, Makoto, Usagi and Hotaru (with a strange man she'd never seen before in the background), and, lastly, Rei made their appearance.

She couldn't resist smiling.

There was another re-adjustment of the transmission panels before the representative rulers were specifically focused on. Meanwhile, the citizens on all of the planets were left taken aback from seeing so many high ranking individuals gathered at once. As a result, the same questions were being asked among the different cultures.

"Those are the rulers right?"

"I recognize a few, but I don't recognize Mars's. Wasn't their ruler Ares? What's a woman doing there?"

"Wait… I think I heard something about them having a substitute ruler…"

"Never mind Mars! It looks like Earth is getting involved as well."

"Earth, Mercury, Neptune… I'm actually surprised Venus is here too! But somehow I thought Aphrodite looked older."

"Maybe it's not her?"

"What's going on here?!"

Haruka glanced down momentarily at her communicator, re-checking to make sure they were all present. Once she counted off the correct number of windows from her side, she nodded to herself.

"Then we are all here?" Her projection boomed and instantly all observers fell silent to witness this unusual meeting. "It appears that there is a much needed announcement!"

From where she stood Rei whole-heartedly wished she could shoot the wind ruler a glare, yet she resisted to uphold her diplomatic form.

"Yes, that is correct." Rei's window began to temporary zoom out to reveal the kneeling Martian soldiers behind her. They were numerous in their numbers.

"As many of you may already know, I was formerly the substitute leader of Mars in Ares's place. However, there has been a change in command! From here on, I, Mars Rei, am the leader of Mars!"

Though statement prompted many whispers among all of the planets, none of the rulers seemed to mind; secretly, the majority of the women were already having a hard time as it is trying not to grin at their friend's success.

"I see," Uranus mused. "And I see there is also a new face representative for Venus as well…"

Minako glanced back at the people below her, reassuring herself of their decision. There were many grins and 'go on' type of gestures from both the crowd and her support group behind her. It took everything the new ruler had to suppress her excitement.

…_Everyone…_

"Yes." Minako replied in a serious tone. "Due to a few unforeseen circumstances there has also been a change in command for Venus. I, Venus Minako, am the new ruler of Venus!"

_**RAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!**_

_Thank you._

"It would also appear that we have one other unfamiliar face among us." Michiru pointed out. All attention shifted towards Earth's window.

King Endymion was zoomed upon.

"Please allow me to introduce myself. I am King Endymion of Earth." He politely gestured. "Today I have not come to solely speak for myself, but on the behalf of both the people of Earth and the Moon. After speaking with the ruler of the Moon, we have come to an agreement to bridge our two societies together! As it now stands, Earth will remain as our center of command until re-settlement to the Moon is established."

Haruka narrowed her eyes a little. _Getting all the help we can get, huh, Setsuna?_

"Very well." Haruka reluctantly accepted the fact. "Then we, the rulers of Uranus, Neptune, Mercury, and Jupiter hereby recognize Venus Minako, Mars Rei and King Endymion as the rulers of their respective planets!"

There was applause sounding in the background, especially on Venus. However, Uranus wasn't about to stop until it was all over.

"We all have gathered here today to formally dissolve any previous alliances, and to swear a new allegiance under the Planetary Alliance! Together, it is our hope that we may finally gain peace!" She raised her hand.

"Therefore, as the ruler of--"

"Uranus--"

"Neptune--"

"Mercury--"

"Jupiter--"

"Earth--"

"Mars--"

"Venus--"

"--SWEAR ALLEGIANCE TO THE PLANETARY ALLIANCE!"

_**RAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!**_

As the people celebrated the new unification, Minako finally let her hand fall down to her side and basked in the joyful atmosphere-- finding herself pleasantly exhausted from all the excitement.

_I was so afraid back then, that now I don't even know what I had to be afraid about. Thinking back on it, it almost makes me feel silly._

_Maybe… It's just like Rei said. I just lacked confidence. I could believe and trust anyone but myself. But if I had never taken that first step to address my people, then none of this would have been possible. I would have never known…_

_But I've decided! No matter what the outcome is, I will have no regrets!_

A gentle breeze blew up against the Goddess and sent her hair-flying back; the coolness against her flush face momentarily refreshed her. Yet the gift was not enough to entirely distract the woman from the light pressure squeezing against her hand. Minako's eyes widened and her heart raced upon feeling the comforting gesture.

…It was familiar…

…All too familiar…

"_What would you tell me… if you were here, Marie?__"_

"…You…" Tears stung her eyes.

"_There, there… The past is the past Minako dear… What happened is done. Why don't we focus on the present?"_

Minako gently squeezed back, finding the tears already falling. The final good-bye between loved ones-- to the one who rescued her, who showed her, her world and home. Every unspoken emotion was expressed within a single heartfelt gesture, to be forever cherished between two souls until the final distant reunion.

…_I'll miss you…_

Minako felt the breeze slowly pull away, the ghostly fingertips keeping contact right until the tips of their fingertips slipped apart. Her heart cried out but she knew that no matter how much she desired it, it was one wish that cannot be granted.

The memories that they shared, would always be filled with laughter and warm embraces. It was with that one consoling thought, that with a heavy heart, Minako was finally able let go, and watch as the breeze soared upwards towards the waiting blue sky.

_You don't have to worry anymore Marie…_

…_From now on…_

…………………_.…I think I'll be okay…_

"Good-bye…" She whispered. "…And…"

"…Thank you…"

**

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**Next up in HFD, Ch. 34: Battle Against the Sun: Prelude to War**

**The declaration of war has been made! Not soon after, everyone is frantically preparing for what may be their finals moments together: Silent ponderings, the question of the will to fight, and hidden fears. This time, instead of being the ones who are hunted, they are finally going to strike back in what will be one of the biggest battles of their young lives.**

"_**There's been something on my mind for awhile. Before we go and fight, there's something that I need to know. Would you hate me... if I didn't become a God?"**_


	34. Against the Sun: Prelude to War

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own Sailor Moon.**

**

* * *

**

(Martian Shuttle, Rei)

_Things became pretty hectic after that. Unknown to the celebrating civilians, the preparations had already been long underway. _

_It took twenty-minutes to declare the unification of our forces, and another ten minutes to give out the orders and commands. _

_Eight hours after the given commands: Inventory of all our available resources had commenced; food, water, clothing, ammunition and outfit gear. The recruitment list was piling up by the minute and we needed everything we could get our hands on. _

_Twenty-four hours after the given commands: All participating military combatants were boarded onto the transport shuttles. Fifteen minutes to review the reports, five minutes between piles... Two minutes to send word to Zen to increase docking capacity through the opening of another ten ports. Thirty seconds to sign the signature and grant approval, one and a half seconds to breathe…_

…_Minako…_

_The preparation for battle was always strenuous but something at this scale...it's in a league of its own. _

_Our strategic meeting came soon enough. Given the extent of our duties we were forced to conduct the meeting online, via projection. It was painfully obvious to everyone there that the mass majority of us were severely sleep-deprived. But that wasn't about to stop any of us from listening to Setsuna's careful instructions._

"_...Uranus and Mars's units will concentrate on breaking through the enemy's front line, while Jupiter and Venus are to provide secondary support. We will delay the second wave until I give the signal. Do __not__ give the command to attack until you are instructed to. Although power is important in battle, patience and strategy is what determines the victor in war."_

_While the majority of us would focus on offence, Ami and Michiru's people would be in charge of the backup support. Mercury, due to their technology and their advanced computer intelligence, will record statistical data on the field and relay those results to the tacticians in regular, periodic updates. Neptune's forces on the other hand will be split into two units-- a small minority will join the battlefield in the fourth wave, after Earth, while the majority of their force will be assigned to medical aid._

_Lastly, in the third wave... Earth will attempt to clear a path through the weakened enemy forces for the infiltration._

"_The palace is our main objective. Apollo has hidden himself within it and is using it as his stronghold. It is very likely to be guarded by an army of his assassins. There is also high probability that we may be outnumbered. However… if we can infiltrate and defeat Apollo, their source of power, then the war will instantly end."_

Rei was sitting at the tactician table in the head Martian shuttle. It was a long, rectangular table that sat squarely in the middle of the lower floor in the bridge. Up until now, the room had been relatively quiet; many of her soldiers had been doing self-preparations, ie. final gear checks, weapon maintenance, whatever they needed. She couldn't be sure if some of them prayed, but she wouldn't have batted an eye if they did now. The overhead projector in the bridge displayed the Sun, their final battleground. Although they were still at a distance away, the anticipation that it was stirring up in the troops was not a good one—even by Martian standards.

_The Sun…_

The planet fiercely spat its flames at them upon their approach as if were daring the 'infant' alliance to discover what hid behind its imaginary guard. It took a question from one of the troops to snap Rei out of her trance. Once the matter had been dealt with, she remembered that she had much more to do. The pile of papers in front of her had diminished significantly over the past few hours, but there was still a handful and she was beginning to get tired; the words on the papers were starting to blur in her vision.

Suddenly there was a light pressure on her shoulder. She turned her head to see that it was Zen.

"What is it?" The question had come out harsher than she had intended it, but her officer didn't even flinch.

"Still working away at it Your Majesty?" He gestured to the pile.

"Something like that," she muttered back.

"You know...if you'd like, I could do those for you while you go and rest."

"What?"

"You've been working non-stop since the alliance's declaration. If you keep this up, you may not be able fight to your max potential in battle. Besides, isn't that why you promoted me to the position of Commander? So I could help you with this kind of stuff?"

Rei eyed him with a disbelieving stare. She couldn't imagine why someone would be so excited to do paperwork, but then again she supposed she was similar, granted, less expressive than he was, when she was given more responsibility for the first time.

"Hmm... All right, since you want to do paperwork so badly, here." She cut the stack in two and gave one half to him.

"Huh? But--"

"I appreciate your help Zen, but I can finish these by myself." She rose from her chair. "If you need me, I'll be in my quarters."

"Oh. O-Of course! Thank you, Your Highness!"

_...Sheesh... The help I have to deal with. _Rei didn't know why she smiled at that. She was on her way to her quarters when she ran across Nozomi. For some reason the child was sitting all by lonesome in the corridor.

_Hm? Is that...? What is she sulking about now?_ Rei had a good enough mind to walk right on by and leave her be, but, despite herself, she stopped right in front of the girl.

"So?" Nozomi didn't even look up at the question. "What's the problem now?"

When she remained silent, Rei sighed and dropped against the floor beside her. Nozomi quickly turned her head to stare at her superior with disbelieving eyes; she hadn't expected her to actually stop on her account.

"I asked you a question and I'm not leaving until you answer it."

"And you thought I act like a child..." the girl mumbled despite herself.

"Well, that's because you are one." She noticed the girl tense. Had that hit the mark?

"...I don't like it."

"Hm?"

"I don't like being a kid! I wish I was more grown up like you and Zen." She gasped when she realized what she had just said, and then turned her head away in shame.

_Oh great, now I did it._ She thought to herself. _Now she won't let me do anything!_

"Why?"

"Huh?"

"Why do you want to be grown up so badly?"

"W-Well... It just doesn't seem fair. You and Zen...You're now the ruler and Zen is the Commander. But me...?"

"..."

"I'm not even a soldier..."

"I thought you didn't want to be in the military."

"Yeah, but--!! That was--"

Rei adjusted her sitting position. "Nozomi, do you remember our deal? If you train for five years and prove at the end of it that you're stronger than your military counterparts, then you're free to choose. If you really want to become a soldier later on, then you can."

"I haven't forgotten. It's just...I want to fight _now._ Even though I helped you guys out on Uranus, Zen won't let me help out this time. He said I was too young..."

_Ah, I see. So that's the problem. _

"I agree. You are too young..." she saw the girl lower her head, "...for that position."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"What you need to understand, is that this battle will be very different from the one on Uranus. Our enemy will not be human, Nozomi. They're monsters."

"Monsters?" She saw Rei fall silent and wondered what she was thinking. "But even if that's true, you're all going to fight anyway! I want to fight too!"

Rei shot her a sharp look and the girl clamped up. "On Uranus, I acknowledge that you were on the front line with Zen...but you were allowed to go because it was intended to be a peacekeeping mission. But this upcoming battle... it will be a vicious fight where both sides fully intend to wipe the other out." She looked away and Nozomi felt the pressure around her drop.

_Anyone can die in this fight. We were just lucky that none of us have so far._

"Due to the alliance, we have more experienced fighters now. They will be more suitable at the front lines than someone of your caliber. You'll just get in the way..."

_I knew it._ Nozomi was so frustrated that she felt tears starting to sting her eyes.

"However...there is something you can do. It's not as exciting as the front lines, but it's a very important task."

"You mean be part of the cheering squad?" She asked sulkily.

"No."

This piqued the girl's interest. "You mean I'd actually be doing something?! Well, what is it? Oh, c'moooon...Don't keep me waiting! Spit it out already!"

"It's guard duty." She saw the girl blink, but as she continued on there was excitement growing in her dark eyes. "The person is a friend of mine, but she tends to be somewhat absent-minded at times so I could really use an extra pair of eyes on her. She's also a Goddess. Are you interested?"

"What...?" _So, the person she wants me to guard is a friend of hers? AND she's a Goddess? _"Of course I am! You can count on me, Sir!"

"Excellent. I shall inform her immediately then." Rei remarked as she stood up. "In the meantime, go to the bridge and inform Zen. Have him equip you with the necessary armor and equipment. If there are any problems, tell him to speak to me. Understand?"

"Yes!" She was about to speed off when Nozomi remembered something. "Oh, I mean...Of course, Your Majesty."

Rei watched her give a quick bow and then dash off down the corridor in high spirits. She almost chuckled at the sight.

_She's an interesting kid. _

"Now, let's see...I have to make a call and then get back to the paperwork." She sighed. _I guess a ruler's job is never done._

As she walked towards her quarters, she couldn't help but wonder how the others were fairing.

(Uranus Shuttle, Haruka)

Haruka gazed out of her bedroom window with a scrutinizing gaze. Beside her, emitted from her communicator, was Michiru's projection. The ruler of Neptune analyzed her partner with a neutral face, being receptive to every detail and movement that the other woman unconsciously made; the occasional shuffle of her weight, the half-hearted sighs-- even the soft swaying of her sandy blonde hair. The serene atmosphere that the warrior carried about her was being committed to memory.

"Who would have thought…" Haruka finally mumbled. "…that the Sun we see isn't just a hot, flaming ball of gas, but an illusion?"

"Yes, it does boggle the mind. However, it would explain how Ami's people were able to design the Planet Core Defence System that all of us use now. I suspect that they must have modeled it after the Sun's technology."

"Yeah, that's true. But knowing that isn't going to help us. The Sun's defence system is a lot stronger than any of our own. Setsuna said that it could take all of us to break its barrier and I believe her...You can sense it too, can't you? The power that's coming from that thing, he's really down there..." Haruka shifted her gaze and locked eyes with Michiru. "It could be a rough battle ahead of us."

The two women silently regarded each other, wordlessly contemplating the other's stern face. No words were spoken; nothing was said; lips never moved. The warm beating of a heart sped up and cheeks blushed when emotions reached across the space to their other half. In a blink of an eye, their world dimmed and fell away. They were standing before one another now, both of them wrapped in a thin veil of light.

Nothing else, no one else…

Slowly, simultaneously, they both raised their hands and reached out. When hands clasped and fingers intertwined, smiles were finally revealed and eyes softened. One thought, one single precious thought…

_I love you…_

(Mercury Shuttle, Ami)

Ami typed furious in front of a monitor, completely forgetting everything else as she entered a new series of data points and created the necessary graphs. Figures flashed before her on the blue face-screen; in its center there were varying statistics based on the strength of their forces and their current provisions, while to the side her inbox flashed with a pile of online reports that awaited her approval. In a mechanical like fashion, the woman opened, read and replied to each message. Much of the time she frowned as she requested for additional information from the sender or suggested an alternative to the plan. On and on it went. It seemed to be a never-ending cycle, yet Mercury's ruler knew she couldn't stop now; she wasn't the only one who was working hard. All around her people rushed back and forth-- either they were messengers delivering hand written calculations or they were technicians delivering the essential mechanical parts needed to upgrade the system. It was the everyday routine—but in a heightened frenzy.

Ami finished up the last set of reports. Upon clicking the send button, she leaned back into her seat with a relieved sigh and disengaged her headgear.

_Whew. Now, I just need to wait for their replies…_

She was about to relax when her inbox blipped again. Ami inwardly sighed, but when she saw who it was from she immediately sat up.

"Oh. It's from Rei." She had begun to skim through the attachments when something cool pressed into the side of her cheek and made her jump.

"Wha---?" She whirled on the spot as the cloth was drawn away, and found herself staring up at an innocent pair of green eyes blinking back. She almost couldn't believe it.

"Makoto? W-What are you doing here?" _Oh no... I must have been working on those reports for too long. I'm hallucinating now. _

"Ahh…Well, I was supposed to send you my report, but our computers are sorta undergoing maintenance repairs right now. So, I came to give it to you myself! But...I can't stay long though…"

"Oh, I see..." Ami mouthed as the taller woman handed her a disc. She turned her chair around and popped it into the system. "Hmm...I was wondering where this was."

"Thought I forgot, didn't you?"

"Well, it was a plausible explanation." She lightly joked back.

Ami re-did the upgrades in a blink of an eye. In no time at all, she finished both tasks; she sent an approved documents back to their Martian friend and returned the disc back to its owner.

"It's really busy over here, huh?" Jupiter commented as she pocketed the disc. There were rushing workers all around them.

"Yes. We've been working on the preparations even before the official declaration was made. It is a difficult job, but we are all doing the best we can. It's all I can really ask of them."

'...'

"Umm...Is there... something bothering you, Makoto? Is there something on my face?"

"You've been pushing yourself again, haven't you?" Makoto gently slid a hand under the other woman's chin and carefully pulled her face up just until she could see her better. It was deceiving at a distance, but Ami was covered in a thin layer of perspiration and her eyes were slightly unfocused.

_I thought so._ She narrowed her green eyes.

"Hold still." When she brought up the face cloth again, Ami's began to protest—only to be shushed and gently pushed back into her chair. Makoto sternly looked at her with an almost motherly expression before shaking her head in a 'what am I going to do with you' way and continued with her task.

"Have you eaten lately?"

"Well…No…But I must finish the work that is assigned to me."

"Yeah… but, you're entitled to a break every once n' awhile too, you know? You aren't a robot."

"Makoto..."

"I know your work is important, but if you don't take care of yourself, then you're just going to burn yourself out. There are people that worry about you, you know?"

Ami averted her gaze. "I'm sorry."

"No. There's no need to apologize…"

Makoto carefully considered what to say next. At times, she was uncomfortable with her words. How could express them so that Ami could understand?

"I know that there's a big burden on you right now. Everyone is sending you all their reports and you have to go through each and every one of them just to make sure that we aren't exceeding our limit. It's a big job… there's no doubt about it. But... can't you rely on others just a little bit more?"

"…?"

"My father always told me, that taking pride in a skill that you are really good at isn't a bad thing… but there can be times where that kind of pride can also become an unbearable burden. You start to think that you need to take the whole world onto your shoulders, like you can't afford to stop or slow down, because if you do… you'd feel worthless."

…_Just being wanted…_

…_To feel needed…_

"…"

"Can't you see, Ami? You haven't eaten and you probably haven't slept at all these last few days. You're hurting yourself! Can't you let someone else take over for a bit while you take a short break? I know they might not be as fast as you are but it's do-able, isn't it?" She took her hands into hers. "Please? I'm really worried about you…"

Ami wearily stared at the pleading eyes. She did feel tired, and perhaps hungry too if she gave herself a chance to even think about food. Now that she did think about it, she didn't know how long she had been working. When was the last time she actually relaxed? Her memory of the last few days was like a blur to her. But what she did know was standing right in front of her; the warmth that touched her as it did those many years ago. Understanding, unconditional love…

Makoto heart almost burst with joy when she watched her friend flag someone over and instructed them on what to do. She was secretly even more floored by the smile that graced Ami's lips as she helped the shorter woman onto her feet.

"Come on, let's go to the kitchen and get you something to eat. I'll whip up something special for you!"

Ami weakly nodded and leaned against Makoto for support as she allowed herself to be led away. She couldn't help but feel calm, and… happy.

With a content sigh she thought to herself,

_What would I do without you, Makoto?_

(Martian Shuttle, Rei)

Rei's quarters were usually silent. The stack of papers that she had brought in with her lay atop of the desk, but there was no one sitting at the chair. To the far side of the room, the woman had dozed off on the floor. She was sitting upright against the tip of the bed with her sword by her side. However, it was not a peaceful sleep.

**. . .**

_Her eyes were closed, but somehow she knew it was dark. However, it was not about to stay dark for very long._

_Rei opened her eyes a crack when a light flickered in the darkness. There was a small, circular orange flame hovering in the space directly in front of her. Before she could comprehend its meaning, more lights lit up all around her. Soon, she was surrounded by a circle of them. _

_The woman sunk into a defensive position and waited for one of them attack, but the lights merely hovered in their respective places. _

_In the distance, something large shifted. Rei was startled when the ground began to shake. A terrible screaming filled her ears as the flames began to alternate between orange and blue. _

'_W-What's going on?!'_

_She gasped when she caught a glimpse of the being staring back at her from the shadows. The flames instantly scattered when a two-headed dragon lunged forward and began to attack them. _

'_No! Get away from it!'_

_She reached out just as one of the flames was extinguished by the creature's jaws._

'_No!'_

**. . .**

"No!" Rei awoke with a start. Still a little shaky, the woman scanned her surroundings and recalled that she was in her quarters. She slumped back against the bed in relief. "Hah! Hah...hah..."

_I guess I fell asleep... But...that dream!_

She was distracted when there was a distinct bleeping coming from her clothing. Rei rummaged through the pocket and pulled out her communicator. She recognized the channel code, but she was reluctant to open it at the time. Did she really want Minako to see her like this? Despite herself, she pressed the button and Minako's projection appeared.

"Hey. Long time no see." Minako said wearily. She did a double take at Rei. "Did I call at a bad time?"

"No, not really... I was...just taking a nap."

"A nap?! Awww... Lucky bum!"

Rei had to smile at that. "I take it that you guys are busy?"

"That's an understatement." Minako shrugged. "All of tacticians are in a meeting right now to finalize our strategies. It's pretty intense in here."

"Heh, I believe it. Who's over there?"

"Well, aside from the informants, we have Taya, Setsuna and Michiru."

"Wait. Did you just say Setsuna?" Rei saw Minako nod. "How long has she been over there?"

"Umm...well, for awhile now. I think ever since our meeting ended."

_...Shit._ _That stubborn woman is going to work herself to death! _

Minako saw her partner frown. "I know. I don't think she's taken a single break since this entire thing began. I mean, I've tried telling her to take it easy, but she just won't listen." She glanced over her shoulder at something behind her and then turned attention back to Rei. "She's working with Taya right now. I'm not sure what they're working on, but I'm getting this feeling that something's...wrong."

"Wrong?"

"How to put it...? Setsuna is looking calm like she usually does, but...I'm getting the feeling that she isn't telling us something. It's not that I don't trust her, it's just...She's been working really hard. It's like she's trying to work out every possible 'what if' there is since she got here. I dunno, it just might be me."

"It could be. I mean, she is the head tactician. If there's a flaw in her plans then there could be some pretty terrible consequences for the rest of us."

"Yeah..."

The both fell silent.

"...So...what did you want to talk about?" Rei asked.

"Well, Setsuna said that we'll be moving out soon... So, I was just wondering how you were holding up. I mean, we haven't spoken since the declaration. And, umm...Also, I just wanted to say thanks for your support the other day. It meant a lot to me."

Rei blinked. "I don't know what you're talking about. You pulled through on your own."

"Hah!" Minako grinned. "In any case...Seriously, how are you doing? I mean...you aren't nervous at all, are you?"

"No. Not at all..." She saw Minako stare back expectantly.

"Honestly."

The word made the Martian twitch. "Well..."

"C'mon."

"I was just thinking..."

"About?"

Rei took a deep breath. It was now or never.

"There's been something on my mind for awhile. Before we go and fight, there's something that I need to know. Would you hate me... if I didn't become a God?"

She could hear a silence from the other end of the line.

"...Why are you asking me this?"

"Think about it. Even though the people of Mars follow me, I'm still only human. If we survive this war, I'll eventually grow old and die...if I'm lucky." She added and took a deep breath. "After the war is over, my condition will continue to weaken me and I won't be able to stop it."

_Setsuna's right..._

"Not even the medicine I'm taking can stop it. In a way...That's worse than being with a human, isn't it?"

"...You're right."

Rei tensed.

"One day you are going to grow old. You'll probably get grumpier, and maybe, you'll complain about your appearance too."

"Mina, I'm serious!" _Does she think this is a joke?_

"I am too."

Rei was startled when the woman met her eyes, nodding solemnly.

"I won't deny it. Some things will change, no matter what we do...That's just the way life is. But... even if everything else changes, the important things will stay the same. You'll still be proud and courageous... You'll still be protective of the people you love. Not to mention, you'll always be a stubborn, hot-head who'll never let me win at a game of cards." She grinned. "...But... more importantly...you'll always be honest with me, even if I can't be honest with myself. I love you, Rei... I'm here for you now and I still will be even after this is all over."

Rei wasn't sure if she was breathing anymore.

"Besides, you can't die on me. We have a promise, remember?" She winked.

When the woman found her voice again she said, "...Yeah...Don't worry, I haven't forgotten."

_It's strange...even though this could be the last time we can speak to one another like this...I don't feel sad at all. _

"...Thanks Mina."

(Earth Shuttle, Usagi)

With a solemn face, Usagi eyed the passing lights from inside of her shuttle quarters. As they approached their destination, there was an orange light filling the room. From the inside it could be mistaken as light from a sunset, but the woman saw its true face. The stars outside became dim due to its intensity, a grim reminder that they too were like the stars. Going against the Sun, it was very possible that they too may be swallowed by its might.

Usagi placed a remorseful hand against the cool glass.

"We're getting closer..." she whispered.

"Mm..."

Hotaru was sitting on one of the beds with a pensive expression upon her face. Despite the nearing danger, unlike the others, she was calm.

"Did you get Rei's message?" She asked.

"Mm. She said that she would be sending a guard over. Though, I'm not really sure why..." She never noticed flicker of emotion in her sibling's eyes. "Hey, Hotaru… I've been wondering about this for awhile now, but... what do you think our mother would say, if she knew what we were about to do?"

"…"

"When everyone came to our home, Setsuna showed us a vision. Do you remember it? In it, our enemy, Apollo...said that he had nieces." Hotaru felt her heart skip a beat. It couldn't be. "Sir Ares also mentioned your name. He asked Apollo where you were, and...Artemis? That was our mother's old name, wasn't it?"

"Usagi!"

"Our enemy...the one who we are to kill is our Uncle."

Hotaru couldn't believe her ears. She almost cursed Setsuna for allowing Usagi to see that vision as well; her sister wasn't as stupid as some people thought she was.

"If you knew all of that then why did you say you'd fight with us?"

Usagi was silent for a moment. "...Because..."

Hotaru stared hard at her twin. She could see the doubt in her eyes. For all her earlier speeches, words were just words after all. However, she strangely found that she was not disappointed by this. In fact, she felt a little relieved.

"Mother was… She was always praising you for your intentions, Usagi. And if she were here now, I truly believe that she still would."

"Huh?"

"Not only have you re-established connections with Earth, with our people, but you have also taken her place as ruler. I think she would be very proud of you."

Usagi was momentarily speechless. "She loved us both." She firmly said.

"In any case... You were right. Our enemy is our Uncle." Their eyes met. "I'll be honest with you. You don't belong in the battlefield."

Usagi's blue eyes widened. "What are you saying?"

"Haruka was right. You may have power to fight, but you don't have the will to use it. You should just stay here and wait until the battle is over."

"But that's--" She was about to say more but Hotaru's raised a hand up for silence.

"It would also be...disrespectful to our mother's sacrifice."

"What?"

"She died so that you could live."

_I couldn't stop myself. But because of her...I was able to snap out of it. That's the only reason why they're all alive now. She saved them. _

"Stop and think about this for a second. If you go into battle, and somehow we both die...then who will be left to lead? The legacy that she left behind would be dead! And not only that...but you would let our people down as well. The people of Earth have placed their trust in you. If you perish in battle then who will be left to re-build the Kingdom?"

"...I...Well, that is..."

"Apollo's power… you've never seen it before, have you? He is not a being to be taken lightly."

_He's already seen you. There is no telling what he would do to you if the two of you met. That's why...!! You must stay behind._

"On the battlefield, Usagi…Once you step onto that soil, into that tension, you will quickly realize that it is impossible to save everyone. In this war, no matter how much power you have, people will inevitably die. They will fall all around you, writhing and screaming in agony if they can scream at all. Do you really think you could handle such a reality? It is not as simple facing against a loved one in a practice match. It is far different from the training you have endured under Setsuna's tutorage."

_Your heart is still slowly awakening to the reality which embraces you. You have finally accepted that you are the ruler, and there are people who look up to you and rely on you now. Try to understand that._

_What am I trying to say is..._

"Unlike our Mother you must protect yourself. You have to live! That's why...I shall go and fight in your place."

…_you cannot follow me anymore._

…_I'll fight for you…_

…………_..I'll protect you…_

**Bleep! Bleep! Bleep!**

"Ah. It looks like we are approaching the planet shield. Setsuna is summoning us." Hotaru muttered. "I should get going. Stay here, all right?"

Without hesitation, Hotaru turned her back on her sister and began walking towards the door. She had reached the doorway when she heard Usagi say, "Wait." Reluctantly, she turned around as the blonde ran up to her.

"Pinky swear."

"What?" Hotaru blinked back. She wondered if Usagi was joking, but she was dead serious. The blonde lifted her hand up and determinedly waited for her reply.

"Pinky swear that you'll come back."

_Oh._ A smile lit Hotaru's face, but she could feel the heart in her chest clench at what she was about to say.

"...All right. I swear that I'll come back." She reached out and shook her hand.

Hotaru finally left the room and left her sister behind her. In her mind the promise had been a silly thing to do, but in her heart she was left torn up inside. She hadn't thought it was possible to bear anymore scars, but she had just received another: The way her sister, the only remaining family that she had, looked at her so innocently as she saw her off—she was completely oblivious to what she was about to do.

_Good-bye...Usagi..._

(Shuttles orbiting the Sun)

Setsuna gave the signal and all of the rulers began to summon up their powers, leaving the rest of their people watching on in awe. With their auras shining brightly around them, at last contact was made with the shield; powerful streams of energy lashed out from the Sun in response and crashed head on with each individual. There was another flash of light as the energy streams were converted by each ruler into a massive extension of their power. In a blink of an eye the power was hurled back with such a force that the barrier instantly shattered.

"All units move out!"

(Sun, sometime after the landing)

"**Bzz…crackle…crack--- enemy radius detected…"** Mercury reported.

Just beyond the capital city's limits, the Planetary Alliance was busily establishing camp. The terrain was as the tacticians had anticipated; there was desert as far as the eye could see, and high gusts of wind upon their arrival. While up above, there were swirling, dark gray clouds.

At the furthest most site Mars and Uranus troops were marching into formation. The soldiers obediently lined up in rows, all facing forwards as the wind blew sand into their faces. Despite the discomfort none of them moved. At the very front Zen and Uranus's three commanders rallied morale, while Rei and Haruka huddled close together and strained to make-out Ami's updates from the Ami.

"What was that Ami?!" Uranus shouted into her head speaker.

"She just said hold on," Rei shouted back over the wind.

(Mercury Shuttle, far south of the City)

From the other end Ami signalled to her communications group to flick a switch on the back wall. The pair of twin turbines outside the station promptly sprung to life. As the blades gained momentum, energy was funnelled towards the radar plates—the crew within the shuttle cheered as a gigantic map of the terrain flew up on the overhead projector. It depicted where their forces had landed with yellow dots and the foreign signatures with red. However, it appeared that their infiltration had not been quite the surprise they were hoping it to be; the City of the Gods was completely surrounded by a growing mass of red, blinking lights.

"Radar initiated! Channels are successfully opened!"

"Red body mass is growing at a steady 2% rate! Error reading is greater than 4!"

"Adjust station one's instruments to level ten, and lower station two's to five!" Ami commanded.

"Adjustments complete! Now re-calculating… Red body mass is currently growing at a rate of 0.2! Error reading is now 0.00008!"

Several more adjustments were made until Ami finally re-tried her communications.

(Sun, desert)

**"****crac—Can everyone hear me now?"**

"Yeah, we hear you loud n' clear!" Haruka shouted back.

"**All right, then I will begin with the briefing. At this moment our computers are picking up enemy signatures surrounding the City in a circular-wide radius of approximately 3km. Also, it appears that their numbers are steadily increasing, but we haven't been able to pin-point where they are coming from yet. Therefore... there is a high probability that our plan of action will continually be shifting throughout the fight. Both Setsuna and myself will relay the messages if there are any changes. I am now switching over to Setsuna!"**

**Bleep!**

**"****This is Setsuna speaking. As I am informed, the enemy has completely surrounded the City. Therefore, the direction in which we launch an attack is now irrelevant. To successfully infiltrate, we will simply need to clear a path long enough for you to get through. Our current plan of action is as follows. Concentrate heavily on long distance fire and try to draw a portion of their wall away from the main masses. We will try to diminish their numbers for now! …You may begin when you're ready…"**

Setsuna's words barely trailed off when Haruka transformed.

"Uranus Planet Power, Make-Up!"

**FLAAAAAAASH!**

"A long distance attack huh?" The blonde loosened up her shoulders. Her green eyes were already flashing eagerly in anticipation. "Okay then! Are we all set to go?!"

Rei glanced behind them at their front line. She was going into battle with the knowledge that, once again, this was going to be it for many soldiers. As hard as it was, she nodded to Haruka and gave her the go ahead.

"World… SHAKING!"

_**Wham!**_**Whiiii**_**iiiiiiiiiIIIIRRRRRRRRRRRRRR**_**RRRRRR-----KABLAM!!**

In the distance, a column of dust flew up into the air. From Ami's side, there was a small hole in the enemy forces depicted on the map. Almost immediately she spotted reactionary movement.

**"****The** **enemy forces are on the move!"**

**"****Are they all moving or is it just the front flank?!" **Setsuna demanded.

**"****Hold on... A quarter of their numbers are advancing towards Rei and Haruka's position! Confirming... Yes, none of the others are budging. It is just the one section!"**

**"****Initiate the Martian 'Pincer' formation! Surround them from all sides and then close in!"**

"Does it ring a bell, Haruka?" Rei was practically grinning ear to ear as their enemy blackened the horizon.

"Shut it! You just better hope that it works this time!"

"It will if your soldiers can follow the formation!"

"Hmph. Well I guess we won't know 'till we try!" She sunk into an offensive position. "Here we go!!"

(Venusian Shuttle)

Where Setsuna was based she could barely make-out the backs of their front line from the camera monitors. There was something about their enemy's movement that disturbed her.

_Why did only the one section move? Do they mean it to be a defensive tactic to test us? Even so, their numbers can be easily worn down if their casualties exceed that of their growth._

_Wait a minute._

**"****Mar and Uranus have engaged with the enemy!" **Ami radioed in. **"Enemy numbers have been caught within the trap. Their numbers are rapidly decreasing!"**

"…"

**"****From the initial quarter we are approaching twenty-five percent remaining… nineteen percent… eighteen, seventeen…"**

"…"

**"…****Two…one… The enemy unit has successfully been defeated! There are still no movement from the remaining mass."**

_The enemy unit has been annihilated, and yet none of the others have moved? Why? Are they purposely going to leave the one side vulnerable?_

"Advance the front line one kilometer!" Setsuna ordered.

The green-haired woman stared at the disappearing front line until half a kilometer later…

**"****Approaching target. Half a kilometer has been gained---Wait! Enemy radius is rapidly expanding! It's covered the front line! No, the enemy's territorial influence is passing us!"**

_It was a trap?!_

"Pull back!"

**"****It's no use! Current projection has reached five kilometers!"**

A scream erupted out of the shuttle's speakers.

"What is happening out there?!"

(Front lines)

In the battlefield, the frontline was swamped by a red wind. The gust swept through their numbers and instantly induced light-headedness amongst the soldiers. However, it was only the beginning; the longer the Alliance's troops were exposed to the toxic atmosphere, the greater the anxiety in them intensified. Many of them had begun to shiver despite being outfitted with armor; a sense of overwhelming hopelessness clawed its way deep into their bodies and drew many of them to whip their heads around as if an invisible presence were encircling them.

Rei blinked back against the sea of red, stubbornly resisting its effects. The unknown substance wasn't quite as thick as she had initially perceived it to be, but it still inhibited her vision nonetheless. It was now nearly impossible to tell which direction to venture in without encountering harm's way.

"Ami? Ami, can you hear me?" Rei tried contacting the woman. She cursed when all she received was static.

_Damn it! Just what is this fog? It's jamming up the radio signals!_ The Martian barely noticed the inkling of a shadow forming behind her.

"Rei, behind you!" Haruka cried out. She instinctively dodged the assassin's downward strike as Haruka lunged forward. The blonde took it down in one strike.

_**Slash!**_

Rei break-rolled and ran over to her companion's side. "W-Where did that thing come from?"

_I didn't even sense it! Does this fog have anything to do with it?_

Haruka gritted her teeth and whipped out her sword. "I dunno, but there are a ton more!"

"But that's impossible! We were at least two kilometers away from where the enemy was, weren't we?"

"Tell that to them! World… SHAKING!"

**Kablam!**

(Venusian shuttle)

Back at the Venusian shuttle, Ami was relaying the current statistics to Setsuna.

**"****Enemy numbers are increasing exponentially within the radius! T-They'll be outnumbered if this keeps up!"**

_Our forces should not have encountered the enemy this soon. They were still a distance away from where the sensors were picking up their signatures. However...it appears that the enemy are materializing out of thin air._

_...Wait a moment._

"Ami, please perform a spiritual scan on the field!"

"…"

**"****Scan is complete. It has been confirmed. Spiritual ratings far exceed that of normal dimension perimeters and they are still rising!"**

"!" _That place is---_ "Jupiter, Venus and Neptune units, move out! Earth, remain where you are and continue on standby for backup support!"

"Setsuna, where are you going?" Taya inquired the woman.

"To the battlefield."

"But you are a tactician! It is far too dangerous for you to go out there!"

"I can assure you that I am not defenceless," she reassured her. "There is something that I must do. Please take over in my absence. I have faith in your abilities."

"Wait!"

_If my hypothesis is correct, then it will not matter how many of the enemy numbers we defeat. They will continue to multiply endlessly because he turned this ground…_

…_into a spiritual graveyard!_

(Mercury shuttle)

Ami pushed herself up from her desk. She already knew how the situation was turning out but out of morbid curiosity she glanced at the overhead projector again. The numbers were indicating the worst.

"The enemy keeps multiplying, while our own forces are… No, the only way for our plan to succeed now is to force our way into the city in one massive attack. We must break through their line!"

"Your Highness, please wait!"

"Don't try to stop me." _Makoto is out there fighting right now._

"I-It's not that!" The technician shuddered. "Our machinery seems to have lost Lady Hotaru's signal!"

"What? She's missing?"

"Please forgive us! We don't know how it happened, but suddenly she just disappeared from detection! The radar cannot sense her presence anywhere!"

**KABOoOoOoOoM!**

The entire ground beneath the shuttle shook with a tremendous force as a blast sounded in the air. Everyone was sent off balance and was forced to grip onto any solid, stable object for support.

"W-What was that?!" One of the crew members exclaimed.

Ami looked to the overhead map and noticed that a massive hole had appeared in the enemy's forces. There was another startling explosion before another chunk of the red mass was eliminated.

_I think…I've just found her…_ Her expression was stern. _But what is she doing down there? Earth's forces, the current representative body for both the Earth and the Moon, was instructed to stay and guard our back flank._

That was when it dawned on the woman.

_Wait! She's isn't going to… Oh no! I need to get down there right away!_

"Take over while I'm gone!" She shouted over her shoulder as she dashed out of the bridge.

"But—Your Highness!"

(Earth Shuttle, Nozomi)

**RUMbLe…**

"W-Woah!" The girl clung tightly onto the hallway railing for support. "D-Damn it! What in Mars are they doing out there?!"

_Grr… This is just ridiculous! Of all the things to happen when you need to go to the bathroom! _

Nozomi continued to grumble to herself as she waited for the explosions to die down in intensity. The girl had started on a self-rant about Hotaru's miraculous transformation when a pool of black particles began to form in the dim corridor behind her.

_--I mean what kind of growth spurt did she hit?! She's taller than me now! Not to mention she's miraculously older looking and speaks all intelligently n' all, and… I wonder if she's out there fighting right now... She seemed like she was in a huge rush to go somewhere._

"Lucky bum," The girl sighed. She was a short distance away from Usagi's room now.

_I know Sir Rei meant well but what's the point in guarding someone who's already being protected by the entire army? It's not like the enemy will ever make it back here._

**…****Artemis…**

"Hm?" _Did… someone just say something?_ "Hey. Is somebody there?"

"_I don't suppose you've heard stories of the Sun Kingdom, Nozomi?"_

The girl peered into the back hall behind her but it was too dimly lit to see anything.

"Look, what is your problem? Stop hiding around that corner and come out! It's not like I'm going to hurt you." She took a step towards the dark area. _Is it that King guy again?_ "If it's Endymion or whatever your name is I already told you! Usagi can't see anyone right now. I'm supposed to be guar—"

**Swip--!**

"Aah!!"

A black substance had shot out of the shadows and wrapped tightly around her forearm.

"W-What?! What is this thing?!" She began to panic.

"_As the stories go, they say Apollo used an army of children, armed with the knowledge of aura suppression, to spy upon the other Gods and Goddesses in his court for him."_

"Rrg!!! LET GO OF ME!!!" She snapped out of shock and began to struggle against the sludge-like substance. She threw a series of punches, karate chops, and even delivered a direct roundhouse kick to it, but all of her attacks were absorbed like it was rubber. All the while, the girl thought her heart was going to burst from panic; there was a cold chill spreading up her arm and throughout her entire body from the point of contact. Fear and exhaustion spread with it like a virus.

_D-Damn… Why… am I get--ting… so tired…?_

Nozomi clumsily stumbled onto the tips of her toes in a last ditch attempt to stay upright, but her balanced failed her; all it took was one strong tug to drag the girl down face first onto the floor.

**Thud!**

Nozomi felt paralyzed. There were voices whispering inside of her head and the world was spinning as she sensed that something was inching towards her. Despite the nausea she attempted to look up for some clue as to what was going on, but she found that couldn't move her head; the colour in her eyes dulled and they became hollow when another pair of bright eyes found hers. In that instant all sense of consciousness began to fade.

_...Sir Rei!_

(Earth Shuttle, Usagi's room)

Usagi remained dutifully in her room as her sister had requested. However, as soon as the tremors had started she knew their source; the woman could already picture her sister in the midst of battle, wielding her silence glaive as she gracefully decimated their enemy's numbers with unrivalled skill and power.

_Hotaru..._

The rumbling continued to decrease in intensity. Distance; she was painfully aware of the distance that separated them.

"_I'll be honest with you. You don't belong in the battlefield."_

Usagi trembled.

"_It would also be...disrespectful to our mother's sacrifice. She died so that you could live." _

She shut her eyes tight.

"_The people of Earth have placed their trust in you. If you perish in battle then who will be left to re-build the Kingdom?"_

_You're out there fighting this instant, aren't you? _She walked over to the window and peered out of it. In the distance she could make out swirling clouds and hear the distant clashing of blades. From where she stood, the battle didn't appear to be as grim as her sister had described it to be.

_Lately...I can't help but feel that you've been acting strange. When we met with the people of Earth and they attacked us, why didn't you try to fight back? I asked you many times why you didn't, and each and every time you've avoided the subject. You accuse me of faking a smile, but you also do the same..._

"You were adamant about fighting in this war the very moment Setsuna had mentioned it. But, this isn't just about protecting me, is it?"

_Sir Ares had asked Apollo where you were. While you were missing from home, were you with him? But...our Uncle betrayed our mother. Does that also mean that he betrayed your trust as well? _

_Do you hate them that much? _

She thought back to their pinky swear promise. Now that she thought about it, Hotaru had said something very strange during their conversation.

"_If you go into battle, and __somehow we both die__...then who will be left to lead?" _

Usagi's mouth opened in a wordless gasp. It couldn't be.

_No..._ _Don't tell me you plan on sacrificing yourself!_

(Battlefield)

**"****bzzt—The dimension over the city is warping! Spiritual levels are still rising!"**

(Earth Shuttle, Usagi)

"No! I've-- I've got to stop her!" In haste she stepped towards the door, but was surprised when it abruptly opened by itself. A familiar figured stepped inside and the door slid shut behind her.

"Oh! Nozomi… You frightened me for a moment there. I assume you found the restrooms without a problem?"

"…"

The girl remained motionless. Her chin was tilted downwards so that her bangs hung over her eyes. Usagi unconsciously shivered at the sight of the child. She never found people of other planets repulsive or foreign in any disgusting, alien type of way, but the young Martian's aura was something else entirely. Unstable—the word came to mind.

_Where did this chilling atmosphere come from?_

Any second now she expected the young girl to tilt her head to the side and beam up at her with a big grin like she always would. Then she would go into a rant about how great 'Sir Rei' was and how the Moon ruler should just be 'a good girl' and stay put while she's assigned to guard duty, thus putting the blonde's unfounded fears to rest.

Usagi had hoped.

"Nozomi…? Is something wrong? You're being awfully quiet."

**"…****Artemis…"**

_Artemis?!_

A fierce wind suddenly tore throughout the room and Usagi was forced to step back with her arms up to shield herself from the icy entity.

"N-Nozomi?!" To her horror, Usagi watched the young Martian's head slowly come up and made eye contact with her.

_She has crimson eyes._

Nozomi broke out into a maniacal laughter as darkness erupted within the room and swallowed everything.

_Hotaru!_

"_AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!_"

(Battlefield)

**Ting! Ting! SLASH!**

_They just keep on coming! There's no end to them in sight!_ Haruka grunted as she cut through five shadow assassins.

Meanwhile, a few meters away, Rei was having the exact sentiments.

_If we cut one down, three more take its place! It's just like on Venus, but worse!_

"HaH!

**SLASH!**

"Stay down!" She roared as more tauntingly materialized before her eyes. The newly re-formed group of the enemy charged forward to challenge the enraged soldier, only to disintegrate when an aquamarine light broke through the mist.

**Sheeeeen…**

"What?!"

"Deep…SUBMERGE!"

**Whiiii**_**iiiiiiiIIIIRRRRRRRRRR**_**----KABLAM!!!**

"KREEEEEE?!?! "

**Shroom!**

"Push forward!" Michiru shouted to them. Ami and Makoto had also joined the fight behind her.

"What?!" Haruka shot back. "But isn't that suicide?!"

_Can you not sense her? She is already gathering power--!_

"Hotaru has left her post with Earth's forces and is taking matters into her own hands! If we don't hurry she'll lock us out! Look!"

"Lock us out?" Uranus whipped her head towards the Capital City and instantly she felt a huge spiritual pressure pull down on her body. _What?! _Haruka gritted her teeth and felt her eyes go wide. Along the perimeter of the city there was purple lightning crackling in the air.

_I see it! Her barrier is still incomplete. Hotaru must be trying to initiate it from a distance! But if she were to make it to the city, then it will be impossible for us to get in!_

"HAH!!" Haruka then lunged forward and struck down another group of enemies. _No matter what, I can't let that happen!_ "Everyone! Ignore the foot soldiers and head for the city!"

"But what about Setsuna?!" Ami shouted.

"Knowing her, she's probably already on her way here. But whether she catches up to us or not is up to her. We'll fight without her if necessary!"

"Understood!"

"Setsuna? But what about the others?!" Minako protested behind her. "We can't just leave them here! Look around you! Can't you see what's happening?!"

Fear grew in the blonde's eyes as the hoarse screams of the fallen tore across the field. They were still falling in droves all around them. No matter where they looked, it was impossible to block out the carnage and destruction from their minds.

"So many have already died! Can you really tell us to abandon them when they need us the most?!"

Minako's blood ran cold when Haruka whirled on her with a stern expression.

"Don't make me repeat myself. I said leave them!"

"What?!"

"Our primary objective was to infiltrate the City of the Gods! You already knew that we would have to leave them at some point, and that time is now!"

_You are still too inexperienced to understand the priorities…_

"Don't become hung up over what is in front of you! Open your eyes! We can fight here forever and still do nothing for them!"

To their side, Rei guarded herself and counterattacked with a fiery strike. Another three shadow assassins perished. They were replaced by five more, forcing the raven-haired woman to leap back from harm's way. The two Martian soldiers nearby were not as lucky; they were instantly swallowed up by the multiplying masses.

_Damn it!!_ Rei cursed in frustration.

By now the determination in Haruka's eyes were casting doubt over Minako's wavering blue.

"Our real opponent is inside! This is why we've been training so hard together! Because it will take every one of us to defeat him! If we stay and fight out here, we'll eventually tire out and die, just like them!" She pointed to the piles of corpses nearby. Behind her, Michiru, Ami and Makoto concentrated on clearing a path through the enemy numbers.

"Deep…SUBMERGE!"

"Sparking…Wide Pressure!"

"Shine…Aqua Illusion!"

**BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!**

"But there is a chance if we defeat Apollo. If we stop him then the war will instantly end. Just like Setsuna said! We can save millions by sacrificing the lives of a few!"

_What is crueller in the long run? What method will save the most? Is my command unreasonable? Do you… think that I want to sacrifice any at all?_

"Tell me Venus Minako… between staying here and waiting for death… or ordering the leave for a chance… WHAT WOULD YOU DO?!" Haruka roared.

Minako stumbled back and swallowed hard. It felt like a lump had grown in there since the last time she spoke. She knew that Haruka was right, but it wasn't fair.

_I've only met my people and was truly accepted for who I am… and now, to save them, I have to abandon them? But, who will die in my absence? They are all precious to me!_

**SLASH!**

The hairs on the back of the Venusian's neck rose when a cool wind brushed up against her. Venus's elite guard broke past the line and aided the Goddesses in their goal to farther ahead.

"Clear a path for them! Do whatever it takes!" A male's voice gave the command. Then, in a softer, reassuring tone he advised his ruler, "There's no need to worry about us! Rest assured... we will be able to handle this!"

"Render?!"

The young man was panting for breath, but he still wore a confident smile on his face. He was no longer garbed in his regular soldier's uniform, but wore the special elite guard armor; its golden pieces and Venus's insignia gleamed proudly upon its new master.

"It is not only our duty, but our wish to serve you! Please go on ahead! Even if we were to fall here, today, keep in mind that we came here willingly. Keep no regrets in your heart, no matter what the outcome!"

White lightning struck in the distance ahead, wiping out the wall of enemies that adamantly blocked their route.

**KABLAM!**

_That power!_ Minako and the other's hearts skipped a beat.

"It's Artemis!"

The man materialized his spear and smiled pleasantly despite being surrounded by the enemy. However the deceiving gesture bared its destructive fangs with a single swing of his arm! They were no longer!

**Swish-----**

"KREeEeEeE!!!!"

**Shroom!**

"Like the young man has said, there is no need to worry! I will also remain here and command our forces in your stead!" With that Artemis unleashed another thunderous bolt of energy and split a clear path for his comrades.

"There is it!" Haruka cried out. But her relief shrivelled away when purple lightning to the East Side of the City tore another path through the enemy lines.

_It's Hotaru!_ The wind ruler briefly glimpsed the dark-haired woman before she disappeared behind the black bodies.

_We don't have any time to lose!_ Uranus sprinted down the path Artemis had cleared for them only seconds before with Michiru, Ami, and Jupiter following closely behind her.

"Mina!" Rei approached the hesitant blonde and saw her look back uncertainly. She could see the answer in her blue eyes. It was obvious that Haruka had gotten through to her, but the inner conflicting arguments still loosely lingered there.

The Martian gritted her teeth and she seized the other woman's hand!

"Come on, don't just stand there!"

It was a race against Hotaru now! Both groups hurriedly cut through the enemy ranks, eager to reach the City of the Gods, while unconsciously denying the other's party's sense of mercy and honour. They had all fought and trained as a group, as a team that had persevered through all the struggles for this one chance. Why should that change now? Why should one person be allowed to suffer and fight alone?

Both Hotaru and the other Goddesses broke through the enemy lines and sprinted across the last stretch to the city limits. It all came down to timing and they were both unbelievably close. Whether it was desperation or the strength of their wills, all it took was one step; one step over the invisible line and Hotaru's spell sprung to life and encased the entire city within one massive, dome barrier.

"Oof!"

**WhoooOOOOOOOOOSH!**

(Hotaru, Eastside City of Gods)

Hotaru's balance wavered as she felt the massive pull on her powers. The spell had drained her terribly, but she assured herself that the effort would be rewarded in the long run.

With a curious gaze, she peered at her creation up and down; it stretched over the city, looming over her once to-be home as a new night that had descended with the promise of destruction. At the same time, however, it was not a mere messenger of doom but a shield. Whatever should happen within its spelled walls should stay inside.

It was supposed to be perfect. Her carefully thought out plan was nearly flawless in every aspect except for one, and she had just discovered it.

"_Hotaru!"_

"Usagi?!" Hotaru whipped her head around in question to the empty space. The call to her heart had been strong and recent. There was no doubt about it; his stench in this deed was undeniable.

_Apollo!_

Hotaru bit down hard on her bottom lip and curled her fingers into shaking fists. Her aura crackled by her sides like ravenous serpents ready to devour the fallen King of Gods.

"I won't forgive you!"

(Rei, Southside of City of Gods)

**shf…shf…**

Rei groaned as she pushed herself up onto her knees. For a brief second, it slipped the Martian's mind of where she was. But upon quickly scanning the foreign surroundings around her, she proposed that she had been sent flying into a new world.

_Ugh...What is this place?_

She blinked as she mysteriously felt her spirit being beckoned by the mysterious structures. There were tall, golden buildings that towered over them, guarding the motionless history that remained engrained within their dusty walls. Similarly, the sandy streets below, where they stood, were vacant of all life for possibly centuries now. Only old footsteps of the fallen remained preserved within the ancient grains.

Rei gathered some courage and walked forwards to where she bent down to observe such a mark. The wind scraped across it and shifted the grains of sand a bit, but it could not entirely extinguish its existence. Out of morbid curiosity, she touched it. Instantly, a peculiar sensation flooded into her. In her mind's eye she could see the backside of a man. He was a golden haired individual and was staring up at the sky in sad thought.

"…_Why is it so wrong to want to be with her…?"_

He began walking forward into the city.

"--ei...Rei! Hey Rei, are you all right?!" Someone shook her shoulders. The Martian snapped out of it and jumped up to her feet to find the others observing her with curious expressions.

"You were spaced out." Haruka offered.

"Huh? I was?" _But, just now...What did I just see? Who was that person?_

"Yeah, but then again, I guess I can't blame you. This place is pretty amazing, isn't it? I'm still kinda surprised that we all managed to get through before the barrier came up."

_It was a close call. I wonder if Setsuna made it as well…_

"Hey, where do you think you're going?"

"Well, we can't stand and wait around just because we made it this far. Things are going to get harder for us from here on." Rei advised her friends as she walked past them. "We should get moving and try to catch up with Hotaru before she does something she'll regret… because of her, we're already down one person. Without Setsuna, it's two. We can't afford to lose Hotaru as well."

It was true. Now that they've been isolated from the outside world, it was impossible to escape. They needed all the strength they could get.

Some of them hesitantly peered back at the chaotic battlefield raging on at a distance away. Their dearest friends and comrades were all struggling for survival amongst the thunderous lightning and roaring wind over there.

**"****Bzz—crack… Uranus Commander Kali Auranos is withdrawing from battle. Condition is unknown."**

**"****Neptune medical units 20 to 22 are to intercept and provide medical aid!"**

**"****Ksss…kss… A quarter of Venus's elite guard has been annihilated!"**

**"****Temporary withdraw unit!"**

**"… ****Unit refuses to retreat!"**

**"****Then send in Earth's units four to ten! The rest shall guard our back flank!"**

**"…****Orders**** have been received and are moving out under the direct leadership of King Endymion!"**

**"****What? That isn't what I specified!"**

**"****Communications to Earth's units four to ten have been cut off."**

"…"

"_We can save millions by sacrificing the lives of a few!"_

"_WHAT WOULD YOU DO?!" _

The group reluctantly turned their backs to the pain they left behind. It still existed, and they acknowledged that, but they would no longer allow its influence to stray them from their paths.

_We must go forward, even if it leads to our destruction._

…_But we are never alone. For those who are precious to us, and for the future…_

…_Together… we will step forward and fight for this one chance!_

**

* * *

**

**Next up in HFD, Ch. 35: Battle Against the Sun: Shadow**

**The group has finally infiltrated the City, but as Rei had already pointed out, they were officially down two fighters due to the circumstances. Now it's a race against time to intercept Hotaru before more trouble ensues. But is that even possible? Between the transparent spectre and a spiritual graveyard, will one of them succumb to the trap laid out before them?**

_**I'll beat him for you… I swear it! I won't rest until I do! We'll take that bastard down!**_

_**I promise!**_


	35. Against the Sun: Shadow

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own Sailor Moon.**

**

* * *

**

(Rei, City of the Gods, City Square)

After passing by a few of the landmarks and never encountering nor sensing a single soul, the group's suspicions were confirmed: The City of the Gods, no matter how elegant it had been in the past it was only a shadow of its former glory now. It was dead like the Moon Kingdom.

The irony struck the group funny in a bitter sense; both civilizations, ruled by the strongest of rulers were reduced to nothing while those who were only their loyal subjects had persevered.

"_I don't understand."_

Rei's footsteps slowed. She nearly had a heart attack when the earlier apparition strode past her and paused by the fountain.

"_I-I can't believe I actually told her how I felt! What was I thinking?! Why did I do that?!" He grasped at his head and shook it in disbelief. "Her eyes… she said she understood, but, she doesn't at all--! How can she, when she looks upon me as a child who has yet to grow up?"_

_Could it be?_ Rei's eyes widened.

_The man fell to his knees._

"_B-Because of everyone… I can't be weak. I can't cry. I have to be strong… I have to be… pure, because…. I am the Sun God. They tell me how strong I am, but if they could only see me like this! On my knees, and screaming inside! It's not fair," His voice dipped to a whisper. "Why do I have to feel like this? Born with such cursed feelings? When I'm trying so hard! Trying to keep it all together so we all can live happily… But my hands," his gaze shifted, "everything is slipping through them. L-Look at me… I'm shaking! Haha…ha…ha-ah… Ah-haaaaaa----!!"_

The sorrowful wail prompted Rei to step back as she watched the man's image fade away.

"Rei?" Haruka shook her hard by the shoulders. "Hey, didn't you hear a word I said?! We have to keep our guard up here! There's no telling what we might run into!"

The Martian slowly turned her gaze to meet her friend's. "Did you… just see that?"

"…_Make it go away…"_

"See what?" Haruka frowned.

"…Nothing." _I guess they can't see it_. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the apparition disappear down a narrow street to their right. Why was her heart telling her to follow?

"C'mon, we'll head towards the palace like planned. It's our best bet on catching Hotaru."

"But which way shall we go now?" Ami questioned.

The square offered many different paths, but the streets signs were of no help. Many of the lettering on the signs were illegible due to rust and the buildings were too high to spot their target beforehand. In the face of this, how could one possible tell the quickest way to their destination? It was a predicament that threw the success of their plan into jeopardy.

"Okay, let's not panic. Maybe we can scan a few of the streets and pick up a hint… but then again, that might take too much time…" Haruka mumbled to herself.

**Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!**

A figure rushed past her.

"Rei?! Where do you think you're going?! Come back!"

But the raven-haired woman ignored the concerned cries and continued to run after the specter. The rational side of her mind pleaded with her to stop this foolishness and to listen to reason; 'You don't even know what you're chasing!' Was it a ghost? Or was it a lingering memory shed by its former self in a desperate attempt to be rid of it? Whatever it was she pushed on with the knowledge that there was no guarantee that she was heading down the right path; not every spirit wished goodwill towards those who could still enjoy life's gifts. Especially one who has viciously hunted them all with such contempt!

Despite that, somehow her body wouldn't listen. There was someone was calling to her.

…_That's the right path…_ They whispered.

(City—house)

Rei gasped for breath when the specter finally slowed in its pace. In her mind's eye she could see more of them now. There was a group of children playing outside of a house along the street. They stopped the King as he passed by.

"_Hey! Hey, have you come to play with us again Uncle Apollo?!" A little boy toothily grinned. "You and Aunty Artemis promised to come play with us again, remember?"_

"_Yes… we did, didn't we?" He wearily smiled back. "Unfortunately, my sister is resting within the palace as we speak. She's had a long day..."_

"_Awww… she isn't feeling well?" A girl pouted. Apollo knew this child idolized his sibling. He couldn't blame her. Artemis was a wonderful person._

"_She'll be all right. She's just tired."_

"_Oh, I see… But, but! You never get sick, do you Uncle Apollo?! Cause you're super strong and cool, and, and…" The boy fumbled for words as the others were furiously nodding their heads in agreement._

_A chill ran down the King's spine._

"_I want to be just like you when I grow up!"_

_Apollo weakly smiled and placed a gentle hand on the child's head. "You don't need to be like me. Just live your lives, and… appreciate who you are. All of you are unique and special in your own way. It is easier to wish to be like another... Desiring their power, talent or wealth… However, learning to appreciate oneself and those around you, for what you all are… is more difficult than becoming someone you are not. But I have faith in all of you..."_

_The statement had somewhat confused the boy. "Then I'm special the way I am?"_

"_Yes."_

"…" _The boy shyly met the God's orange eyes. "…Uncle Apollo?"_

"_Hm?"_

"_When I'm old… will you still come to see me?"_

"…"

"_Grandpa says that he can't go outside anymore because he's old. He has trouble doing a lot of stuff these days. Sometimes he says he wishes he were a God because Gods don't age. One day, I'm going to get old too, right? So… umm… if I can't come outside to see you anymore… will you come to see me?"_

_When Apollo finally recovered from the shock, he smiled once again._

"_...Of course."_

Rei watched as the God played with the children for a bit. He didn't stay long though. Before everyone knew it he was hurrying off with a goodbye.

"_I'm sorry, but I must be going now!"_

"_Okay! But, but… come again soon! And bring Aunty Artemis too!"_

The Martian sensed his frazzled aura as he made his quick escape. It was unstable now, but she didn't have time to ponder on it for long before she was forced to give chase to keep up with him.

(City main street)

When she finally stopped again, Rei noticed three new specters this time. They were young men who appeared to be in their early twenties. They stopped the God as he passed by.

"_Your Highness, is everything all right? You look almost ill!" One of them worriedly inquired._

"…" _Apollo's mouth set itself into a thin line._

"_Shall we escort you back to the palace? We would be happy to! Just say the word!"_

"_No! Just stay away from me!" The King flung his arm out and forced the startled boys back. Hurt expressions appeared on their faces in reaction to the distrust that their Lord bared towards them and dangerously intrigue due to the flash of silver eyes where brilliant orange shone only seconds before._

_Apollo blinked at their horrified expressions, and shook his head to bat way the sick sensation. When he re-opened his eyes, they were orange again._

"_I-I apologize. Perhaps I am not feeling well after all…" He mumbled. "Please, carry on with your duties. I shall return to the palace on my own accord."_

"…"

As he passed her, Rei analyzed him with a contemplative look in her eyes. _His eyes changed color for a second there. I remember in Setsuna's vision that they were always gray. Could this be the first time that it happened?_

She followed after him.

(City road)

Patiently Rei continued to trail after him down the lonely streets. He was almost limping now, and his shoulders were slumped in resignation.

To Rei's astonishment, transparent rain soaked the dry trails; as she ventured through the otherworldly medium her skin tingled against the chills that enveloped her.

"…_Must… be pure… I-I must… forget…" His voice cracked. The man's eyes flashed between silver and orange._

"_Why can't they feel my pain? Why must I be the one who is in agony?! Allowing people to be always happy, what sort of paradise is this? People cannot grow if they cannot feel pain. They cannot become stronger! That's right… they'll just become weak, and… since the subjects reflect the rule of the ruler, it would be inappropriate for the subjects of the King of the Gods to be weak. It'd be a disgrace! But… the strongest are already part of my court. They are rather cheerful aren't they? Always smiling and laughing… They're supposed to be the closest to me, and yet they are oblivious. Haha… ignorant to a fool who is losing his mind. Oh, I'll have to punish them for that I suppose. I'll make them strong!"_

_Apollo's head suddenly throbbed and he gasped when the nauseous feeling returned. This time he threw up, inwardly shivering with horror at the twisted words leaving his lips._

"_Ah---ah-ah… I can't take this anymore! Please… Help me!" Desperate orange eyes turned upwards toward the palace ahead._

"… _Artemis…"_

With the utterance of the name, the illusion shattered and Rei was faced with the looming palace structure. Her heart had yet to calm down, and her mouth felt so dry.

_Is this really… what the former King was like?_

**Ping!**

Rei's head shot up when the sound of distant footsteps caught in her ears. They were not coming from behind her—no! They were in front of her. A dark-haired individual was feverishly scaling the palace steps towards the entranceway.

_Hotaru?!_

"Hotaru---wait!" She called after her. "You can't just rush in there! What if it's a trap?!"

A vision of a dark-swirling mass with crimson eyes flashed through her mind.

**Ping!**

"Nng---!" Rei gripped at her head in response to the evil aura. She outstretched her hand towards the disappearing body as if to catch her and hold her there in place with her will.

_I can feel it now! D-Don't go there! Don't go in there, Hotaru! He's waiting--_

Rei's concerned gesture remained ignored by the other youth. Hotaru's clouded eyes were too focused on the darkness that awaited her. As if a moth drawn to a flame, she allowed her hatred consumed heart to throw its anguish into her powerful movements as she silently raged against the unseen enemy hidden within the ominous tomb. Her patient ears had become deaf to the cries of warning. Only unrivalled fury bellowed loudly in her soul like a God of Death who has only been released from its chains of slumber. Instinct was the only thing controlling her body now.

"Hotaru!" Rei shouted at her friend's retreating back. She hesitated to follow, and was astonished by the uncertainty that hindered her actions now.

_I…_ Rei's hands curled into determined fists. _Why am I hesitating...? I have to stop her!_

"Hotaru!"

The Martian ducked down and pushed ahead in a swift dash, gaining in both momentum and stride as she chased after the shadow of a friend who was, in turn, consumed by the shadows of the palace.

As she climbed the steps, the amethyst-eyed woman became vaguely aware of the surprised cries of her other friends behind her. Even Minako's pleas for her patience echoed somewhat distantly to her. There just wasn't any time to explain; due to her lack of courage in the critical seconds previous, Hotaru had already entered the palace. Thus it came as a frustrating shock to the Martian when she met with resistance near the entranceway; the menacing aura leaking out of the palace pressed heavily against her body as if it were trying to choke her. It demanded an exorbitant amount of effort for every step she took.

"Rrrrg---!!!!"

_W-Why… is this so hard?! I can barely move forward now!_

She raised her arms and gritted her teeth. Now nearly at the top, she threw in her entire weight and silently prayed for the breakthrough…

_Come…ON!_

…Her prayer was granted.

**TUP!**

In the second she crossed the invisible line marking the entranceway a peculiar sensation washed over her. It was damp and cold, as if she were caught in a foggy mist. With the slightest of movements the breeze pricked at her arms and caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end—a low, whispery voice rumbled through the dark, beckoning to her once more. Was it only the wind that stirred such frightening imagination from the warrior? It somehow felt similar to the time that she followed Apollo's spectre through the streets; there were hollowed whispers in her ears. However, this time, they were closer now and more real.

_I can't hear you…_

…_I can't hear her voice anymore…_

Rei's eyes dimmed, unknowingly surrendering to the force that desired her presence. All thought of the others vanished in a hazy cloud: The danger of the situation, the urgency of their mission, the risks and sacrifices that led her existence here, and even the fiery determination to find Hotaru became extinguished like a candle in the breeze. Instead, she was assaulted by loneliness in this warped world.

_Where am I?_

…_Who am I…?_

… _Where should I go...?_

As if to answer her, an invisible hand lightly gripped one of her own and gently tugged her towards the corridor.

"This way...?" Rei stepped towards the direction after the mysterious guide. "Are you sure?"

The fears and problems of the outside world fell away, leaving the woman's soul feeling light and unburdened; inwardly, wrapped within the warm, mesmerizing sensation, she was entranced and dangerously dancing.

The muddled shape of her guide momentarily flickered before her eyes before hiding itself within the invisible unknown. The resemblance of a long, flowing dress at the specter's feet tickled something within her memory. But similar to that of the specter, as soon as it was sighted it was gone.

(Sun Palace, Corridor)

Rei ventured deeper into the maze at the insistence of her patient guide. The corridor that she walked down now was solely lit by two rows of candles. Her shadow spun behind her, continually being battered around by the orange light. It was almost like a game. A child, who has lost their way, takes the advice of a wandering stranger. The stranger's true face is unknown and their true purpose is fleeting like the playful wind. However, the child takes irrational comfort in this presence and allows only the thought of curiosity to fuel his/her urge to explore the unknown.

'This entire place is strange…' Rei's senses flickered alive long enough to recognize the floating lights that have now appeared within the corridor.

"Who are you?" The question escaped her lips.

The guide in front of her became momentarily visible once more. Not only did the Martian note the dress from the person's backside, but this time she also caught the sight of long-braided hair.

…_What…?_

Her host disappeared from sight once more.

(Palace Ballroom)

Rei finally reached an enormous room. It was almost entirely dark with exception of the lights that floated aimlessly about the surroundings. Somehow, she found herself suddenly feeling sad; the emotion was particularly strong within this area.

As her guide's presence disappeared entirely from detection, Rei's heart began to speed up again. The drowsy, mind-numbing peace was lifted, and delivered the woman to the waiting jaws of inner turmoil. Instantly consciousness clenched down hard for control and she snapped out of her stupor.

"W-What?" Rei blinked and stumbled backwards in sudden awareness. She stared, wide-eyed at the unfamiliar surroundings.

_How did I get here? Where is this place?_

Her head hurt as though someone ripped her out of a pleasant dream and abandoned her in a hellish nightmare. She was alone. She understood that much. Yet she took no comfort in the presence of her new companions. The floating entities, though they lit the surroundings for her, it was because of them that a sense of uneasiness formed in the pit of her stomach.

_Those things--! I remember seeing them on the Moon! But… what are they doing here? What are they?!_

The whispers started again. This time, however, they were not muffed. They were so clear that Rei could not mistake them for anything else, no matter how hard she wished.

"…_Run…"_

"…_way… away… Run!"_

"…_ey… com… ing…"_

"… _Run!"_

"R-Run…? Run from what?" The Martian nervously stepped back when the lights began to furiously buzz and emit high-pitched screams.

**Tup, tup--Thud.**

_What?_

Rei automatically looked down at her feet to see what she stumbled into. A small, circular plate caught her gaze. With dangerous curiosity she allowed her eyes to trail along the lines that spread out from the tiny plate, stepping back only to gain a better view, and she nearly choked on the very air she breathed.

_It can't be! _ Her heart was pounding loudly in her ears.

**Lubb Dubb! Lubb Dubb! Lubb Dubb!**

_A dragon._

The seal of a two-headed dragon stared menacingly up at her. Her earlier dream instantly came to mind as the beast's eyes began to shine crimson. A loud roar caught in her ears. Rei gasped and leapt back when a stream of black fire shot out of the crest and curled up to confront the intruder.

"…A-ah…" She had taken a defensive position but the magnitude of its spiritual pressure was overwhelming. It felt like she couldn't move.

**Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!**

Footsteps echoed in the hallway behind her.

_It's the others! No! Don't come any closer!_ She wanted to cry out, but the words refused to form on her lips.

From the corner of her eyes she sighted the group appear at the doorway entrance. They all just stopped short of entering the room, only noticing the fiery creature when Rei's peculiar paralysis drew their attention to the evil aura permeating the chamber.

"Rei?! Rei, get away from there!" Minako screamed.

_I'm trying! But my body won't move--!_ The Martian struggled against the invisible bonds but they held fast. They wrapped about her arms and legs, and head to toe, restricting every possible movement. If her mouth were open she wouldn't be able to tell if she were screaming because even breathing was even a mystery to her at this point; every nerve in her body felt shot and her limbs were rapidly going numb. The helplessness she was subjected to made her tremble.

_Damn it!_

With the last bit of her will, she glared defiantly at her captor as the dragon lunged down and swallowed her with its being.

**SHROOOOM!**

"REI!!!!!"

"Minako, don't--!" Haruka made a grab for the Venusian, only to narrowly miss her arm. "I said stop!"

The second the two rulers stepped closer into the room two black hands shot forward from the gooey mess on the floor where their friend had been and wrapped around their waists. Their arms were trapped at their sides.

"Dammit! L-Let go!" Haruka snarled.

"Haruka!" Michiru raced forward. She raised her arms. "Deep… SUBMERGE!"

**Whiiiiiiiiii**_**iiiiiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrrrrrr**_**---KABLAM!!!!**

"Sparking…Wide Pressure!"

"Shine…Aqua Illusion!"

**Sssssss----KABLAM!**

**KABLAM!**

The substance between the hands and their gooey base were blown away in the blast, while the remainder, the hands, dropped lifelessly to the floor and shrivelled up like a plant due to a lack of moisture.

"Did… did we get it?" Makoto dared to ask.

"Who cares?!" Minako emotionally snapped back. "Rei… What happened to her?!"

_I could only watch as that monster came down on her! Why didn't I move? It's my fault! It's my fault! If only I had stopped her! If only I had come sooner! If only…I had done something! This wouldn't have happened…_

"She can't be dead! REEEEEEEEEI!!!!!!"

"…Minako…" Haruka's averted her gaze. _Rei--!!_ It was too painful to look at the Venusian. It was too painful to think that her friend could possibly...

A squirming movement suddenly caught Haruka's eye. The gigantic black mass began to move again.

"Minako, look out!"

"Wha---- AHHHHHH!" She was thrown up into the air and held there.

"Shit! TAKE IT DOWN!" Uranus barely raised her hand to initiate a world shaking when something grabbed her arm and pulled her backwards. She let out a stream of curses as the shadows leapt upon her.

"DAMN IT!"

"Haruka!"

"...Haruka!"

However, in the end, their struggles amounted to nothing. Minako watched helplessly as, one by one, her friends were swallowed up and met the identical fate that Rei had. They just disappeared. Their muffled cries and struggles became stilled under the blanket of darkness that stole them away.

_Why is this so useless?!_ Minako wanted to scream. Her torn heart was ripped into pieces, and those pieces into pieces. The sludge had gotten a hold of her as well; any second now, it would be over.

_Why?! Why?! WHY?!_

**Sheeeeeeeeeen…**

She was distracted when crimson light lit the area. The blonde turned her head in time to see the thin outline of someone familiar at the doorway, just before she met her fate as well.

_Who is that---? Setsuna?!_

"You will not have them!"

**FLAAAAAAAASSSH!**

(Haruka)

…

In the darkness, Haruka's consciousness began to awaken.

…_It's… so quiet…_

…_Am I dead…?_

She sighed and inhaled deeply. The cold air filled her shaky lungs like a newborn taking breath for the first time. The events that led up to her existence as it was now reflected themselves poorly within her dull green eyes; they were a jumbled swirl of images, barely capable of influencing her weak thoughts. Her recollection began with fear. She remembered the pain and horror of seeing those close to her fall one by one. Looking at it all now, like this, she had to wonder if it was all a dream, or a trick of the imagination to fill a void with heroic deeds to satisfy the need to be something to someone.

… _When I was a child, I never believed in Apollo…_

… _I could never believe that there was a God who ruled other Gods…_

_I thought that he was a myth, a story to scare little children who were gullible enough to believe it. Even Ares, when he murdered Neptune, I deluded myself to believe that the God of War was only a fool who had allowed his bloodlust to take over him…_

_But then…I met Hotaru on Saturn. I remember her eyes, they were full of innocence. She looked up at me shyly, and took my hand with only one question._

"_Who are you?"_

_I was amazed that a child could possibly live on such a poisonous planet. No ordinary human could last in a place like that. Even I had trouble. It nearly killed me just stepping onto that forsaken ground. But there she was. She was real._

_I saw many things as I met with Rei and the others again. I also lost many things as well. Important things…_

_But now… it's so peaceful! I don't have to think, I don't need to fight… I can keep my eyes closed and dream, and sleep…_

**WhoooOOOOooosssh…**

_Hm?_

_What's that sound? Is that...the ocean? It's strange, but… I can hear the ocean and the wind. Now that I think about it, I think, Michiru took me to see it once. It was the largest body of water that I've ever seen in my entire life. It was really beautiful, and calming. The light would reflect off of the water's surface, and Michiru's eyes would light up at the sight of it. She loves it very much…_

_She was always there for me…_

"_Haruka."_

…_Michiru…_

_Where is she? Michiru, where are you? Are you all right where you are right now? Is… everyone all right with you? Rei, what happened to her? She was… The same thing happened to me, so are we both…?_

_We all worked so hard, and came this far together! So, even if I'm… if I am… I can't give up now. There must be something I can do! I'll find a way to fight somehow!_

_I won't let you guys do this alone!_

"...ruka… Haruka, wake UP!"

At the sound of an insistent voice, the sounds of the ocean died away only to leave behind the roar of the wind-- a powerful wind that re-ignited the flame within Haruka's body and made the senses known once more. The rush of blood throughout her body confirmed one thing, if not the most important; she was still alive. However, if this was a temporarily granted life she didn't know.

The wind ruler peeked through heavy lids and allowed her vision to adjust. She saw long green hair, crimson eyes and a staff with a red jewel on its end.

"…Set…suna…?"

"Wake up already." The other woman was huffing for breath. Beads of sweat littered her brow as she heavily leaned onto her staff for support. "You have no time to lie around."

In an instant Haruka pushed herself up to her feet, testing the weight on her legs for a moment, and eyed her surroundings. It did nothing to help the confusion welling up inside of her.

"Huh? Where are we?" _It's so dark. I can't see anything! _She turned her attention to her comrade. "And what happened to you? You look terrible! Tell it to me straight, Setsuna. Is this another one of your visions or did we both die?"

Setsuna remained silent a few seconds longer, gathering breath to calm down her shaky body.

"No, we are both alive. However, that could change very quickly if we aren't careful. We have been dragged into the spiritual realm. This place is a graveyard, a spiritual graveyard to be precise."

"What?! N-No way! So just what are you saying? We're alive but we're stuck in another dimension?"

She nodded. "I first noticed this while I was in the Venusian shuttle. The machinery was detecting abnormal spiritual readings aggregating around the City, and they were far greater than the normal standard. Do you understand what this means?"

"…No, I'm afraid not."

"Spiritual energy originates from the soul. The more souls gathered within an area, the greater the spiritual levels of that area. Such is the case where spirits rest or sites where people have passed away before their time. This is important, Haruka. Normally it is impossible for a specter to affect the living under normal conditions… however, as the spiritual levels of a place rise, so does the potential for a specter to influence the living world. The place you and I are trapped in now is extremely dangerous! Here, it is very possible for a spirit to take your life!"

"So, you mean--?! This place is crawling with ghosts?!" _Again?! Oh no...I hate ghosts..._

"Yes. It appears that it was Apollo's intention all along. While he is a spirit himself, he cannot touch us unless he influences someone of the living to do his bidding for him or unless he encounters us in an area such as this. His creation expands as far as the battlefield, where his minions are granted the ability to multiply at abnormal rates. That was just the first level though. The second spiritual level was staged at the palace entrance… while we are currently standing at the third, the deepest, and where his powers are the strongest."

_I never expected him to go this far. To imagine that he was capable of amassing enough souls to perform such a feat!_

"Based on the strengths of the signatures that I currently detect, many of these souls are likely from the Great War long ago. The majority are common foot-soldiers. However, there are also large masses that are significantly weaker… Therefore it is plausible to conclude that Apollo has gathered many of his deceased former subjects, such as civilians, and has trapped them here as well for the sake of achieving his goal."

"Former subjects? Seriously?" Haruka shivered when a chill ran through her body. Her eyes instantly darted behind her, but to her dismay there was no one there.

_That's strange… For a second I thought I sensed someone was… Could it be one of the ghosts that Setsuna was just talking about?_

"I apologize." Setsuna continued. "I managed to spare you and the others, but I could not teleport us out of this dimension. His power is too great now."

_It is also likely… that THEY will appear soon as well._

"Wait! So you mean the others are still alive?!"

"There is a strong possibility. By the time I had reached all of you, Apollo had already begun to drag you further into this dimension. The best I could do within my power was to rip you from his grasp. That is all. As for the others well being, I cannot truly say... However, they are alive. They are all scattered somewhere within this realm. Listen Haruka, it is imperative that you find each other before he finds you first. Otherwise, it will be impossible to defeat him."

Setsuna inwardly winced, and her legs suddenly felt weak. _My powers… I've exhausted them past my limit. My body wishes to sleep…_

"All right then. We'll find them together!" Haruka nodded to herself.

"We?" Setsuna blink back at the taller woman.

"Yeah. You just said it yourself--it's dangerous, isn't it? And in the condition you're in, I just can't leave you here." She took a step forward. "Like it or not, I'm taking you with me!"

**Lubb Dubb**

_Haruka…_

"Haruka, I must also warn you. Under any circumstance, do not allow a spirit to--"

**PING!**

"…World…"

**Sheeeeeeen..**

Setsuna's eyes widened. "Haruka, stay back!"

"What?!" The blonde barely caught the glimpse of golden light.

"…SHAKING!"

**WHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRR—**

The attack charged towards the wind ruler with terrifying speed!

Haruka, who was caught off guard, barely turned her head to see the oncoming blast before a figure threw themselves in front of her.

"Setsuna!"

**BLAM!**

"Augh!"

The advisor's bloody body dropped to the floor, where she continued to writhe in pain.

"Setsuna! …Setsuna!" Haruka dropped to one knee and stared at her comrade in horror and disbelief. She wasn't sure what to do; what just happened?!

"Come on, say something! Anything!" _Where did that attack come from? It was my attack, but… I wasn't the one who initiated it!_

"Setsuna!"

"…Haruka. Do not look at me. Always keep focus on your opponent--!"

"My opponent...?"

**Tup. Tup. Tup. Tup.**

The wind ruler turned her head as the footsteps drew nearer; her green eyes trained on the direction, flashing with nervous anticipation for what awaited her.

_There's someone there._

A golden suit of armor stepped into the light…

_There is only one other person…_

...Followed by blonde hair…

…_.who could use that attack._

Haruka swallowed hard as she found empty green eyes staring back at her. She wanted to laugh and cry at the same time; she would have never believed such a story if it weren't staring her in the face!

However, the shred of fleeting joy she harboured was torn apart at the sound of Setsuna's fitful coughs. Bitterness of the deed gave way to anger; her entire body tensed and she glared at her former mentor with deep contempt.

"You!" She growled. "How could you do such a thing?!"

"…"

To her bewilderment, the man merely withdrew his sword and brandished it towards her in a threateningly manner.

"You bastard...!"

"It's no use… you cannot get through to him." Setsuna whispered. She felt the urge to uncharacteristically chuckle at this turn of events. "It appears... that Apollo could not touch them while he was a spirit. Nor could he control them, especially as his powers were already focused on another… Therefore, instead, he brought them to him."

Haruka slowly absorbed this information.

"So… because spirits can't affect the living, he killed them all just so he could use them?! Are you saying that no matter what I do, I can't do anything about it because he's a ghost?"

Setsuna stared the other woman in the eye. Her advice was simple.

"You must defeat him."

"But how?! He's already dead!" She turned her head quickly when Uranus began to slowly approach them.

"He has materialized in order to gain the ability to hurt you. Therefore, he also becomes vulnerable to your attacks as well. Defeat him, and then house his spirit in your body. If you can temporarily house his spirit then Apollo cannot work his magic over him any longer. Also, a last word of caution... Do not allow yourself to be hit by his spiritual attacks."

_Avoid being hit by his world shaking at all costs!_

"You aren't making any sense!" Haruka rose to her knees and took on a defensive position. "What's the big deal about spiritual attacks? I can just heal myself if that happens!"

"…"

"Setsuna…?"

"…"

_Oh no! Please don't tell me----_

"Stay with me Setsuna! Try to stay awake!"

The sound of stomping footsteps drew Haruka's attention to her charging opponent.

"Just like old times huh?" _I thought I hated you back then, but now I REALLY hate you..._

**Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!**

"HaaaaaaaAAAAAAH!"

"HAH!"

**CLASH!!!!!**

Their swords met with a spark against metal.

"Is that all you got?!" She shouted in his face.

Haruka struggled and shoved her sword into his in deadlock. From their close proximity she found Setsuna's words beginning to sink in. No matter which words she threw against him, Uranus would not acknowledge them; the former God's green eyes were hollow and tinged with crimson specs as the madness and lack of conscience sank in.

_His eyes…! I remember, back on that day…_ She was getting tired of seeing them. _Ares had the exact same eyes!_

"HAH!" Haruka forced him back onto his heels. Immediately, Uranus set himself into another world shaking.

"World… SHAKING!"

_**Wham! **_**Whiiiii**_**iiiiiiiirrrrrrrrrrrrrr**_**---Blam!**

"Heh."

Haruka stared at him with a confident smirk. His attack collided with her raised blade straight on, the metal taking the majority of the force. She had gotten away from the attack with only a few minor scratches.

_I guess being dead restored his ability to use his powers again… but even then, they're still weak compared to mine! Now, all I have to do is heal myself and---_

**Bzz…bzz-!**

"…What?" Haruka blinked at the blockage. While upholding her defensive position she glanced down at the scrapes on her forearms. The cut caused by the world shaking was still there!

"It's not healing?!" A chill ran down her spine.

"_Do not allow yourself to be hit by his spiritual attacks."_

'Is--Is this what she meant when she told me to be careful?" _I see now. I can't heal myself if I get hit by spiritual attacks!_ _But then that means Setsuna--!!_

_She won't be able to heal herself either?!_

Haruka lunged forward and sent the former God back in a brief exchange of blows. Once she knocked him off balance she threw one hand up into the air.

"Two can play at this game! World…"

**Sheeeeeen…**

"…SHAKING!!!"

**WHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIR-----TING!**

Uranus swatted the golden planet away. But in the moment that he had lost sight of his former charge…

"…"

A shadow appeared behind him.

"Right here!"

**SLASH!**

"…!"

The back plate of the former God's armor fell off, with only a thin red line along his back for proof of injury.

_I won't forgive you!_

Quickly, Haruka found herself once again exchanging a series of lightning fast blows.

**Ting! Ting! **

**TinZ!**

**Tinz—clash! Tinz—clash!**

**Whup---CLASH!**

_That's strange…_ Haruka thought as she analyzed her opponent's awkward movements. _He's not nearly as strong as he used to be. He's slower, and his attacks are sluggish! I know I didn't hurt him that much with that last attack!_

_It's like he's not even trying!_

Haruka leapt up, and did a mid-air somersault. With the momentum of the spin, combined with the force of gravity she hurtled a destructive downwards swing towards the man, so fast, leaving Uranus barely enough time to raise his sword up.

**swiish--**

"YAH!"

**SLASH---CRACKLE!!!**

With a single swing of her sword, Haruka broke the tip off of Uranus's weapon. The gleaming piece of metal clattered against the ground and signalled her waiting triumph. It was over. All she had to do now was to claim it.

"Pathetic."

**WHUP!**

She drilled her fist into his mid section, through his armor, and knocked him to the ground. No words could accurately describe the outrage she felt now.

She felt hatred towards him. Yet at the same time, she knew it was misplaced. It was Apollo who was at fault for orchestrating this misery that they all were forced to endure. Uranus was merely one of his disposable puppets… a puppet, in Haruka's opinion, who should have known better.

"Just look at you!" She yelled as she pointed her blade at him. Her words were difficult to voice due to the urge to clench her teeth. "Look at what you've become! You mean to tell me that you disappeared from everything, from life, only to become this?! That the former God of Uranus, the same man who adopted me, has fallen this low and became a puppet for a dead master like a dog?! Where is your pride?! I've never knew you were such a weak-willed individual!"

An emotion began to flicker within the man's green eyes.

_I came all this way to fight Apollo, to get revenge for what he's done to everyone, including you. But when I came here, I found you. For a moment, I almost hoped you were still alive. I wanted to ask you many things that I couldn't before… But instead, I had to fight you… and… even then, it still wasn't even you!_

_I hate him. Apollo… I hate him, I hate him, I hate him!_

"The soldiers of Uranus are strong willed individuals who fight with honour and respect! We fight to protect our home and our comrades! What we do not do, however, is bow down and whimper like dogs for an undeserving master! That-- is not Uranus's way!" She roared.

…_!_

Haruka threw her arms up into the air and began to concentrate a world shaking.

"World…"

_I can't believe it's come to this._

Instead of throwing the glowing planet into the ground, she merged the ball of light into her blade!

**Sheeeeeeeen…**

_But if I must destroy with my own hands to rescue you from that demon's grasp, then I will! I won't let him have you!_

She swung down!

_I… remember you…_

"Haruka."

"…SHAKING!"

**KABLAAAAAAAM!**

Uranus's temporary body dispersed into a flurry of white lights. Although there was no blood or a dying scream, the grateful smile that reached his lips as her sword came down was framed perfectly in her memory. He had recognized her. He acknowledged her, even if only for a split second. That flicker of joy was all she truly wanted when she was still an heir. However, as the lights flitted past her darkened face she recalled another possible end for another comrade. Rei was alive, a fact which brought her great relief. But the cut on her forearm, though relatively harmless to her, meant life or death to another.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a single, glowing sphere of light remained. It floated an arms-reach away in front of her, almost expectantly.

"Is that really you?" Haruka questioned it.

"_Defeat him, and then house his spirit in your body. If you can temporarily house his spirit then Apollo cannot work his magic over him any longer." _

"Setsuna…"

Haruka briefly glanced at the advisor's body. This time there was no hesitation or doubt. She then outstretched her hand towards the entity, inviting it to her. There was a brief flash of light as Uranus's sphere merged with her, and then disappeared. Warmth immediately spread throughout Haruka's limbs, removing the pain from her tense muscles.

With a heavy heart, the wind ruler then walked over to her injured partner.

"Hey. Hey!" She called her, half-hoping, half-believing that she'd still get a response. "Wake up!"

Haruka almost couldn't resist smiling when those crimson eyes wearily fluttered open.

"You can't fall asleep." She lectured as she took a seat beside her. "If you do, you might not wake up."

"Haruka…" Setsuna analyzed the blonde's face with a stern expression. Did she not understand yet?

Haruka heavily sighed. "Yeah, I found out," she pointed to the cut on her arm. "So… no matter what I do, it's really no good huh?"

"…"

"Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure that nothing can be done?! It doesn't matter what it is, if it'll help you, I'll do it!"

The emotionless expression that resumed on Setsuna's face brought sparked anger in Haruka.

_Doesn't she care at all?!_ Against her nagging pride she held up her hands, palms facing down, over the advisor and concentrated on releasing her aura.

"…?!" Setsuna's eyes flew open. "Haruka, I've already told you! Spiritual wounds inflicted by spirits cannot be healed by the living."

"Shut up. I don't want to hear any crap from you right now!" She snapped. Her frustration was beginning to shine through her mask of irritation.

"But why…"

"Look, I know this probably won't work, but I'm going to try anyway, dammit! So don't you even think about giving up! No matter what, you have to try everything you can or it's already over!"

Setsuna's body shivered. Her body felt so cold. "… I've… under-estimated my opponent. I was foolish…and this is the price… that I must pay. That is the reality of war."

"Stop talking like that!" The blonde growled. "You don't deserve to die just because you made a mistake! There are a lot of people who care about you! What about Artemis and Luna? What about the rest of us?! Have you forgotten about that? Or, are you always in your own little world being too depressed to see what's around you?!"

"…"

"That's what I've always hated about you. You always go off and pity yourself for every little thing that goes wrong!" _Everything that I've said… You try to do everything by yourself._ "Everything can't be decided by logic alone!"

Haruka's hands shook as the energy continued to leave her. She knew the wounds weren't healing, she was painfully aware of it.

"Stop, that's enough." Setsuna gripped onto her hands with tremendous effort. "You are… exhausting yourself for nothing."

"It's not for nothing! I'm doing this for you!"

"!"

The strain on Haruka's body was beginning to take its toll on her, but she refused to let up. Setsuna was still alive as far as she was concerned, even if it was just barely. It hurt to watch those bright crimson eyes become dim, to see the life going out with it, and because of what? Why was she even in this position in the first place?

_She lost her energy saving us. If only we'd been more careful! If I'd only been more careful, she wouldn't be…_

Haruka clenched her teeth and tried not to cry. She disliked the other woman, but not this much. Not enough to want her to die. In her mind, she knew it would be any time now.

"…Setsuna…thank you."

"…?"

"I know this is kind of late. But hear me out, all right? You were always there looking out for us. And although we hardly talked… we all still considered you as part of our family, even if only for a short while. We trusted you. You were reliable and always seemed to know what to do when we didn't. And I…I'm sorry that I said all those mean things to you…" Haruka flinched at the tug on her powers. She was tiring out.

"You did good, all right? So don't let a little mistake make you think that everything is messed up now, because it's not! You got us this far! So, we'll keep going! We'll defeat Apollo no matter what!"

Setsuna's eyes were only open a crack now. Her world was already darkening.

_I never thought that this day would come, that I would finally die. How long as it been now? I cannot even remember my own birth. The days are almost all the same to me. I merely kept on living and watching as those important to me faded away. I had no power to save any of them…_

_Maybe, all of this time… I wished for death. I've longed to be with her…_

_Yet, it is strange… to be dying, like this. Knowing, that you were loved... It almost makes me wish… I could…_

_Live._

"…Thank…you…"

"!" Haruka watched as Setsuna's eyes closed and her body went limp. In that instant, from the peaceful smile on her face, she knew the struggle was over.

Shakily, she ceased her efforts and allowed her hands to fall to the ground in front of her with the knowledge that she tried until the very end. It still hurt though; to know that your best wasn't good enough. Despite her earlier promise not to cry, she found her eyes tearing up. Two smiles, two precious smiles of gratitude that she didn't deserve: One for bringing the end to her mentor, and the other… the happiness and the faith in Setsuna's eyes that said 'I believe you' when her efforts still allowed her to die.

**Plip, plip…**

_I'll beat him for you… I swear it! I won't rest until I do! We'll take that bastard down!_

_I promise!_

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!"

**

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**Next up in HFD, Ch. 36: Against the Sun: Price of Heaven part 1  
**

**In another part of the spiritual realm, Ami and Makoto are about to face against an enemy that doesn't just know about their pasts, but also some of their most cherished memories. As they go head to head against their adversaries on an individual basis, what are they to make of the seemingly random images being displayed before them? Is there any significance to it or are they destined to be stuck within the enemy's trap forever? They better find the answer fast because little do they know... the moment they 'existed' the countdown for the end has begun. **


	36. Against the Sun: Price of Heaven part 1

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own Sailor Moon.**

**

* * *

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(Makoto)

**…**_**Ping…**_

_**fttz…ft—tz…**_

**…**_**ping…**_

_**ting! Woosh…woosh…woosh…**_

A silver coin flew upwards, climbing straight up an invisible path of air; glinting metal, in a slow, monotonous rhythm, replayed its magical disappearing trick between light and dark. One face feels the warmth of glorious, heavenly light, as its partner slept—cradled by darkness. However as the light falls away and the bleak temptation beckons the one in the light, it willingly loses itself, without protest, as the other ascends to its place.

It continued to spin until a force crushed it entirely with its influence, bringing its rhythm to a stop before allowing the metal to fall to the black surface below. A distinct 'plop' rang out as the coin submerged beneath the seemingly liquid surface; the source point bobbed up and down, creating calm waves which reached out a gentle hand to the unconscious woman lying nearby.

Makoto stirred and groaned softly as the first waves caressed her fingertips, tickling the stiff flesh there. Her pulse quickened; her heart nearly leapt out of her chest as the delightful splash of warmth spilled down her hands and throughout the rest of her body until colour came back to her face. Unconsciously the young goddess tilted her head into the loving caress, opening her dazed eyes a crack and listened. There was a distinct note in the air. There was a series of them now, merging together into a soothing piece that re-kindled something in her memory. She could see him now, standing in the distance…

_Who are you?_

"Where are you?"

Makoto blinked and saw that she was standing in an open corridor. However, haziness blocked her otherwise excellent view. So she rubbed her eyes, forcing the dizziness away.

As the cloudiness bordering her vision faded away and her eyes re-focused, she immediately noted the marble wall that curved upwards along the stone pillars to either side of her. Though it effectively sheltered her from the Sun's view, the wall itself was imperfect and visibly bore cracks. Makoto peered down to her right, by her black booted feet, where a tinge of green briefly won her attention. She strode through the reminder of the corridor until the opaque, white guardian abruptly yielded and finally unveiled the lost Garden of Eden.

Her pulse quickened; the atmosphere was buzzing with energy. Someone was there.

In earnest she dared to step foot on the ground, ignoring the swish of the blue cape upon her back. The moment her foot contacted the lush green grass, Makoto felt herself jolt and fell to her knees in shock.

**Tup—fsSh!**

_Wha---_

"What's…What's going on here?!" She gasped, and attempted to steady her racing heart. She was speechless; not only was she back to square one, in the white corridor where she had been seconds before, but the place itself--why hadn't she recognized it before?

_This place! I'm-- I'm back home?! _She crept close to the nearest wall, pressing herself against the solid support in uncertainty.

_But how can that be? We were just on the Sun. Could I be dreaming?_

Shakily, as if she were afraid that her knees would buckle beneath her at any second, she rose to her feet and cautiously ventured further into the corridor. It was just as she had left it; every pattern embedded within the marble, every crack, chip and decorative ornament—each and every one belonged in her memory. But despite her mind's warnings and fears of deception, all of Makoto's senses were bathing in the welcome sensations. She had been away from home for some time now, and she just never realized how homesick she was until then.

A refreshing breeze lightly brushed against her face, and drew her gaze up to the baby blue sky overhead.

"_Today will be a good day."_

As if reassured by the distant, kind voice, Makoto ventured further through the palace until she came across a small garden. She paused at the end of the railing. The flowers were scarce amongst the brilliant green; their colors were hardly present at all amongst the grass. Instead, there were white petals that blanketed the area like fallen snow. Their source was a lone tree in the center of the area. It looked to be rather ancient, towering well above the surrounding structures and stretching its branches halfway across the garden.

_This place…_

Makoto's eyes swam with emotion. She couldn't understand it. She had come here often in the past so why was it so hard to do so now? A strong sense of nostalgia had gripped her, so hard that she feared that the tears beginning to blur her vision would fall without resistance. She wanted to be there. No, she _needed_ to be there. Her awkwardness became evident as she staggered clumsily towards the tree in a trance-like state amidst the swirling flowers and sweetly scented wind.

The sound of a flipping coin echoed in the distance.

_**Woosh!**_

**. . .**

_She was approaching someone beneath the tree now. Blue armor with Mercury's insignia flashed momentarily underneath the individual's cape as short blue hair was brushed by the wind. It was strange but the God who stood there, the one who had created this sanctuary, hardly appeared alarmed or insulted by her presence. He continued to blow soft breaths into the horizontal instrument that he held and it joyfully sang in gratitude. _

_The blue-haired figure stopped a few steps short from the majestic being before him. A peculiar, nervous anticipation stirred deep within Makoto's chest, and, without warning, her lips began to move on their own accord. Yet it was not her voice that rang out, nor were they the words she wished to say._

"_Will you continue to ignore me…Jupiter?"_

_The other man lowered the flute from his lips and smiled. His long, dark-brown hair, which was tied back into a low ponytail with a blue ribbon, swayed to the side as he turned to face his comrade. Unlike his annoyed friend, the God was garbed within long robes of green cloth patterned with white and gold. _

"_You're the one who has invited us and yet when I arrive, I find out that I am to find YOU?"_

"_Come now Mercury... I thought you enjoyed listening to my playing. You have stood there for quite some time before choosing to present yourself. Did you think that I would not notice?"_

_Mercury frowned. "It's not that and you know it. But that aside, didn't you call me here because you needed some help with investigating a matter? Well, why haven't we gone yet?"_

"_Impatient as ever," Jupiter laughed in a light-hearted voice, his green eyes twinkling in amusement. "Are you so eager to keep yourself busy? Why not take a moment to relax, and enjoy life like we used to?"_

"_Like WE used to? If I recall, it has always been your doing that interrupted me from my work in the past! Even now--!!"_

"_Am I truly a bother to you?"_

"…"

"_Are you saying that you did not enjoy the time we spent together… as we watched the sky together while I played to you in our former home?"_

"_N-No… I…" Mercury shook his head in exasperation. "Look, I was only worried, that's all. This is one of Apollo's creations that we are talking about! It must be destroyed immediately! It's too dangerous! You haven't forgotten what happened on Neptune, have you? Because of it, Lady Neptune is dead and her young daughter was prematurely forced to ascend to the throne in her stead! She is still a child… yet due to our carelessness, because we had believed that the contraptions would remain dormant without his presence, this tragedy has occurred! You wouldn't wish for something like that to happen to your own child, would you?"_

"_No, I wouldn't."_

"_Then let's go." He turned to walk away, and had only taken a few steps when he sensed that his companion was not following. _

_Mercury sighed. _"_Are you coming or aren't you?_ _What is the problem now?"_

"…_Tell me, have you brought young Ami to accompany you today as I had requested?"_

"_Jupiter!"_

"_It would be cruel to leave the child alone in her father's absence. Especially as she is far from home," He explained. "However, I am sure that my dear Makoto will always accept Ami with open arms. It is somewhat difficult to believe how fast time goes by... Until Makoto, I had almost forgotten the distinction of months from years," he chuckled. "Even now, after all this time, she still remains rather withdrawn, even amongst the other children her age… However, it appears that she has taken a liking to Ami."_

_Ami's father sighed a little. "Yes, as with my daughter. The girl is extremely shy. Sometimes it is a wonder that she is mine. She rarely speaks, even at home…"_

"_Perhaps it would do them both good if they saw each other more?" _

"…_Perhaps…"_

_On that note of agreement, Jupiter gestured towards the palace. "Come, dear friend. Before we set off, shall we first visit the young ones?"_

_The other God merely replied with a curt nod._

**. . .**

_**Woosh!**_

"HaH!"

**THUD!**

Makoto's forehead crashed against the tree trunk, panting hard as she struggled to gain control over her rampant emotions. Her body shuddered as waves of dizziness and nausea tore through her. It was so bad that her grip upon her sole support was hindered by the same sheen of sweat forming on her brow.

_What just happened? _She sucked in breath. _Before I knew what was happening, I was talking, but—those words weren't my own! For a second...it almost felt like I was a completely different person._

She took some time to attempt to recall anything significant that stood out from her experience.

_I wasn't by myself. There was another person… _A tall figure clad in armor came to mind. Short hair, Mercury's insignia…

_No, it couldn't be! Was that Ami's father?! _Makoto staggered away from the tree in horror. _He was talking to someone, but who was it?_

"What were they talking about? Neptune...? Were they talking about Michiru?" The name came to mind and her head began to throb again.

_Ami._

"Ami! I-I have to find her!" _I'm sure the others can take care of themselves, but I--I've got to find Ami! Where could she be? Where do I even start looking? When that thing attacked us...she was right there. She was right beside me, but I...! I couldn't do anything._

As the thought became so jumbled up, she suddenly realized something: Why was she panicking so much? This wasn't like her at all—she needed to get a grip on herself, and fast.

"Where am I?"

Makoto tentatively glanced back up at the blue-sky overhead. After that soul-shaking experience, she was no longer certain that it foretold good fortune.

_I don't like this feeling… this, uncertainty in my heart. _

As she searched for an answer from above, unknown to her, her shadow took on a different form underneath the rustling branches. The wind picked up and the shadow assumed the form of a short-haired individual in armor.

_**Woosh!**_

(Ami)

**Tup…tup…tup…**

Ami kept her composure despite being terribly perplexed by her unexpected predicament. When she had initially come to, she was horribly startled to realize that she was alone. She initially wondered if she had died and if that was the reason she was separated from the others, but after a few quick tests, to her enormous relief, the young woman quickly determined that she was indeed still alive. The only mystery remaining to be solved was already staring at her in the face. If her memory served her well, she deduced that she was likely wandering into a trap. Their enemy had somehow failed to extinguish her life when they had the chance. Therefore, her life was surely in danger.

Firstly she needed to properly analyze the situation. One could not solve a problem without knowing precisely what the problem was. Yet to her frustration her reliable computer was failing terribly in confirming whether or not its operator was experiencing a dream. Ami knew what she saw: This was Jupiter's palace. It was as she had last remembered it. The ambience, it the very same, welcoming entity that greeted her time and time again. Could it truly be an illusion? Was there the slightest possibility that there was one powerful enough to elude her machine and sway her heart?

"No, no, that couldn't be it," she mumbled to herself. Although her heart and mind were conflicted, logic produced only one answer; as far as the blue-haired woman knew, none of her comrades, as powerful as they were, possessed the power to teleport between planets. Well, she supposed that wasn't quite true. Setsuna had displayed a curious power in the past when she somehow transported Rei and Hotaru to the Moon without a shuttle, but considering that it was Setsuna the possibility was immediately ruled out.

_What I'm seeing must be an illusion of some sort. Oh… but I wish I had some other kind of proof!_ Ami regarded of the whining machine in the palm of her hand. Error signals continued to pile up in umpteen small windows. _I've past through this corridor twice already but I'm still not getting any accurate readings._ _I don't understand it... __Why isn't this working? I've upgraded my computer every night so... it should be update to date but it's still not enough?_ _What should I do now?_

Although she was in a familiar place, the surroundings did nothing to ease the loneliness that she felt inside. She was missed it, the warm smile that raised her spirits whenever she was feeling down, the warm touch gently embracing her about her shoulders even if there was no reason at all. She dared to hope when a voice behind her cried out,

"_Hey, Ami!"_

"Huh? Mako----" She hastily turned towards the direction of the voice. "---to…?"

She stopped when she came face to face with a cold, empty corridor. When she could move again, she slowly brought a hand up to her face and covered her eyes as if to hide herself from the overwhelming shame.

_Is my mind playing tricks on me? Did I… really hear what I thought I heard? _

"_Ami!"_

Against her wishes, the young woman's heart skipped a beat.

"_Ami! I'm over here!"_

There was something peculiar about the tone of her voice, a quality that the timid woman could not accurately pinpoint. There was nothing wrong with it per se, yet it wasn't entirely right either. She couldn't quite put it into words.

_Is it a trap? I better be careful..._

Ami swallowed, and cautiously proceeded down the hall. Her eyes gazed straight ahead but her ears fought to distinguish between the calls of her friend and her shaky breaths. She was nearing the opening, ever closer to discover what lay beyond the curtain of white light.

**Tup, tup…tup…**

**Fwoooosh!**

The light dimmed, revealing the inner chamber to the surprised young woman. Ami felt her eyes widen. There was a long, rectangular oaken table at the center of the room. It was lined by eight beautifully carved, oak chairs, three along each side and two at the ends, and had a white table cloth on top. A vase of flowers was in the middle.

Ami looked at the walls and noticed the flags draping down from them. She knew where she was.

"This…" _This is the dining room._

"_Ami!"_

Ami peered at towards the table once more, and this time she perceived two blurred shapes sitting on the chairs. Quickly, she rubbed her eyes and tried again. She could see them clearly now.

The blood drained from her face. _It can't be…_

_**Woosh!**_

**. . .**

"_Ami. Hey, Ami! You aren't looking too good… Are you feeling all right?" Makoto leaned over the table, her elbows pressed against the wood as she questioningly regarded the smaller girl across from her. Ami barely nodded in response, her focused eyes never leaving her computer screen. Makoto frowned; the green-eyed teenager wondered whether the other girl nodded because she was sincerely all right or whether it was due to habit._

"_Ami, are you listening to me? Did you even hear what I just said?"_

_**Tapity—tap, tap, tap, tap! Tap! TAP! Tap, tap! Tap----**_

"…"

"_Hey, can you please put that thing down and look at me?"_

_Ami's typing came to an abrupt stop when a hand blocked her view of the screen. Blue eyes briefly darted up to see her friend lying across the table, staring at her with that concerned expression until she could bear it any longer and averted her gaze._

_Seeing that she had earned the shy girl's attention, Makoto relinquished her influence over the machine and shuffled back into her seat._

"_Sorry, it's just... You've been doing it again. You haven't listened to a word I've said! Is there something on your mind? You've barely spoken since you've got here, and you've been working on your computer as though your life depended on it! I mean, if you have work to do, then I think I can understand…but it would nice if you were honest with me…" her voiced trailed. _

'_I hoped that you would come to me if you had a problem…' _

_She saw her friend about to open her mouth with an unconvinced gloomy expression, and Makoto quickly added, "And don't you say that you're a burden! Because you're not!" she insisted sternly._

_Ami leaned back into her seat, softly sighing, and resumed her sudden interest in the floor._

"_I don't know what you're talking about. There's nothing bothering me…"_

"_But-- there is! There has to be! You haven't been the same ever since Neptune--"_

**…**_**growl…**_

"…_umm?"_

_Both girls blushed when they realized that the culprit was Ami's stomach voicing its discontent._

"_Oh… so… you're hungry?" The continual growling encouraged the shorter girl to sink farther into her seat. "Hey, it's no problem at all! Why didn't you just say so sooner? Hey, c'mon… let's go get you something to eat! I know this great recipe that I've been meaning to try out!"_

_As the taller girl proceeded to coax her shy companion towards the kitchen, the pair remained oblivious to the confused young woman nearby._

**. . .**

_**Woosh!**_

**. . .**

_This time…_ Ami eyed the girls as they disappeared into the kitchen. _I came to Jupiter with my Father shortly after Lady Neptune's passing. I remember. I wasn't feeling very well that day, but Makoto was there. She was trying to cheer me up…_

_But why am I seeing this? How is it possible that I can watch myself like this? Is this also part of the illusion? Something just doesn't add up. How can the enemy know something that intimate? _

She brought a hesitant hand up to her chest.

_How can he know...my most precious memories?_

She followed after the teenagers.

**. . .**

_**Woosh!**_

**. . .**

_Within the empty workplace, Makoto briefly abandoned Ami's hand to clamber up onto the steel counter and reach for a steel bowl from one of the high cabinets. Within a few seconds she quickly slipped back to the floor with her prize clutched tightly in her hands and began shuffling through various drawers for the cooking utensils. To her right, on the counter, a blue binder was whipped open with a confident sweep of her hand; the pages flapped wildly until they came to rest on a particular recipe that seemed to be satisfactory to her friend. Where Makoto had suddenly acquired this air of confidence mystified her shy guest. In this place, it was as though she was a different person._

"_Everyone is out preparing tonight's dinner in one of the larger kitchens. So we have this place all to ourselves! Neat, huh?"_

"_But… are--are you sure this is a good idea?" Ami nervously looked around. "What if someone sees us?"_

"_Oh, it'll be fine. Trust me. As long as we clean up after ourselves then they won't mind. I have done this before, you know?" She chuckled. "Besides, I like being in here. It feels like... I belong. I know it probably sounds really weird, but when I'm in here, it feels like I can just be myself. I don't have to worry about letting others down…" Makoto leaned against the stainless-steel counter and bent over the recipe, touching each word with fondness. There was a calm expression reflecting back at her from the countertop._

"_Makoto...?" Ami studied the taller girl as she began to gather the ingredients._

"_Being the only heir to the throne... people are always watching you. They're always watching every move you make. I used to really feel self-conscious about it and, to be honest, I still kind of do. It's just—for some reason, I find it difficult to be waited on all the time. I mean, I know everyone means well, but they want to do everything for you, even if it's something as simple as tying your shoes or brushing your hair. To be honest, it's kind of frustrating sometimes. They never let me do anything by myself. That's why... I always look forward to our yearly gatherings. I don't just get to see everyone, but I also get some time to do what I want to do."_

_Makoto pulled over the bag of flour. There was a crinkling sound as the bag opened._

"_Don't get me wrong though. I can understand why my father and the staff worry about me so much. It's just… I don't think they see that it's burdening me. Sometimes...it feels like I'm about to suffocate. There are so many expectations that I--I can't help but wonder sometimes…"_

_Ami quietly watched as her friend fell silent. It was the first time she had seen Makoto look so sad; she was normally an expert at hiding those kinds of emotions. More than anything in that moment Ami wished for the courage to say the right words. However, speaking to another person was very different than relaying commands to a computer._

"_I've been thinking a lot since Neptune. I can't stop thinking about it. Heck, I even see it in my dreams! Because of what happened, Michiru is now a ruler... She's the ruler of Neptune! Can you even imagine how she must be feeling right now?" Makoto set down a flour bag and motioned Ami to sit with her as she proceeded to mix the dry ingredients together. "To have so many people placing their hopes on you... I mean, we're still only kids! If the people who took care of me my entire life were to suddenly depend on me for everything, I..." she paused. "…I don't know what I'd do. I wouldn't know where to start, and... I don't think Michiru would either. I know she acts like she always knows what to do, or 'a miss know it all' according to Rei, but she's just like us. I think… she's scared. I know I would be because I still am."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Like, what if… instead of Michiru, that was me? What if my father died that day and I had to become a ruler? Like right now, this second. I don't think I could handle it. I'm willing to bet that everyone would just give up on me as soon as they see how useless I am…. Just like my old combat teacher… When I couldn't meet his expectations he told me that I was a lost cause and left. I never saw him ever since. My father took over, but still… maybe he was right. Maybe I'm not fit for this kind of life. I mean, I'm not exceptionally smart. And I'm not much of a fighter either. I've already lost count of all the times that I've wanted to give up. But then, one day, I accidentally stumbled into this place while the staff was preparing lunch. I asked one of the women what they were making, and it just went from there. Sure, I made a few mistakes at first, but everything turned out okay in the end. It tasted really good, actually. I guess it was then that I realized that I wanted to continue to learn how to cook. So I started to come here more often… Before I knew it, I could prepare a lot of things by myself."_

_She turned and smiled at Ami. "Don't tell anyone, but... if I could choose to become whatever I wanted to be, I think… I would become a chef. I'd become the best there is!"_

_Makoto..._

_Makoto carefully measured out the sugar and then poured it onto the batter. She then reached for the salt, but paused when she noticed Ami's nervous expression. Did her rant make the girl uncomfortable?_

"_What's wrong?" _

"_H-How much should I...?"_

"_How much chocolate you should add?" Makoto blinked, wondering why the other girl was looking so flustered._

"_There's just… there doesn't seem to be a specified amount called for by the recipe. I thought that perhaps you… Oh, never--never mind, please forget that I asked!" She reflexively whipped out her miniature computer, and hurried to correct her 'offensive' error. Perhaps her friend hadn't written down an amount because she had expected her to figure it out?_

_But as Ami moved to open the top a hand gently pressed back down. Startled, she looked up questioningly to see Makoto shaking her head._

"_I didn't write down the amount because…there isn't one," she smiled._

"…_I don't quite understand. What do you mean?"_

"_Well. I find that, for things like this, it's better to act on how you feel. Why not try putting some in, and then taste it? If you don't think it's enough, then try adding a little bit more. Hm...? What's with that face?"_

"_Are you sure?" Her voice was barley higher than a whisper. "But what if I ruin it? All of your hard work will go to waste…"_

"_It won't."_

"_But--"_

"_No buts! Why don't you try to trust yourself for once? Why not... trust what's in here?" Makoto gestured to her chest._

_Unconsciously Ami felt herself relax a little. 'Why can't I?' She questioned herself. The longer she watched the smile on her friend's face, the more confidence she gained._

'_Perhaps… just a little couldn't hurt...'_

_Ami tentatively lifted the bag and began tapping it lightly until a glob of the dark-brown, sticky substance fell into the dry batter. No sooner had it fell into the bowl Ami yanked up on the bag, fearing that she had already added too much; she knew that what was added could not be taken back, so with great reluctance she began to mix it into the batter despite her shaky hands. Once the task was finished she dipped in a silver teaspoon and extracted a tiny sample before lifting it up to her uncertain, pink lips. It tasted somewhat sweet, but it was still lacking. The girl gave the bag another tap, and promptly mixed in another small portion. Soon, after gaining some confidence, she realized that her process was unnecessarily time-consuming. Ami then tilted the bag further, mixing in greater amounts at a time and observed the batter becoming increasingly brown as Makoto quietly watched from the side._

_Finally Ami slowed, and thought,_

'_I think... it just needs a little bit more…'_

_She had meant to only tilt the bag for one last quick bit, but to her horror the package slipped in her grasp. Three times the intended amount fell in._

"_Ah! Oh, no! Makoto! I-I didn't mean to-- It just--" She whipped her head to apologize, but found the chestnut haired girl already mixing the batter together. Ami sat there stunned as Makoto went to taste her ruined creation. The spoon came up to her lips._

'_Any minute now she'll say she hates it…'_

"_Hmmmm? Hey, this is actually pretty good." Makoto finally said. "Try some Ami!"_

'_It's good?'_

_Ami could scarcely believe what she had just heard. It actually tasted good? Anxiously she went to sample the batter again, somewhat doubting of her friend's comment due to her good nature, and found herself pleasantly surprised. It was a little sweeter than she had intended it to be, but it wasn't bad._

"_Like it?" Makoto asked. She saw Ami slowly nod back. "You know, I've got a feeling that these cookies will be the best batch I've ever made yet! And it's all thanks to you!"_

_Ami turned a dark shade of red._

_After putting the cooking trays into the oven and cleaning up their mess, many minutes later the batch was finished._

_With a pair of protective gloves Makoto carefully removed the hot tray from the machine, and placed it down to cool onto the nearby counter._

"_Wow… would you look at that." She wiped her brow with the back of her hand. The dark-brown cookies came out beautifully, appearing soft and puffy. The appetizing aroma quickly wafted throughout their workplace, subtly reminding the two young girls how hungry they really were. "Well, what do you think? I bet they taste as good as they smell!"_

"_Mm." Ami nodded._

"_Now then, with the dishes out of the way, why don't we take these to someplace where we can sit down and eat them? I bet you're starving!"_

**…****growl!**

"_Haha, I guess I should take that as a 'yes'. C'mon, let's go to my room."_

**. . .**

_**Woosh!**_

**. . .**

Ami followed the two girls to the base of a spiral staircase and paused there for a moment, already knowing where they were headed.

_Back then… I couldn't believe in myself at all. I couldn't believe that there was anything special about me. I could only place my faith in others…_

_I think that's why I allowed myself to become absorbed in facts and numbers so often. Before my powers grew strong enough to materialize, computations were the only things that I could really do. In a sense, studying was all I was good for. Looking back on it now... I can see just how pathetic it was. I wanted to rely on those things that didn't change, but... I was wrong._

With that, she began to climb the staircase after the pair. In no time at all she located where the two girls had come to rest. Makoto's room; it was a dimly lit area and was surprisingly, plainly furnished for a royal's chamber. There was a plain wooden dresser tucked against the wall to her right, and the queen-sized bed accompanied by another small table to her left. The neat arrangement of teddy bears on the bed particularly drew her attention, reminding her of Makoto's meticulous cleaning habits even as a teen. The curtains were drawn across the windows as well.

From the doorway Ami spotted movement and heard some shuffling beside the bed. She found both girls curled up against each other on the floor, her younger self against Makoto and the taller girl against the bed. Her image had snuggled further into the other girl and paused as if she was unsure of what to say.

_**Woosh!**_

**. . .**

"Makoto…?"

"Hm?"

"…I… Well, today… thank you."

"Do you feel better now?"

Ami nodded and unconscious snuggled into the warmth from the other girl's body. Both of them had eaten their fill, leaving nothing left but a single cookie on the platter in front of them. However, even though they had finished their snack the two chose to remain on the floor instead of moving to the bed.

"I'm glad," Makoto whispered. There was relief apparent in her voice. "You know, I meant what I said back there. You... really haven't been yourself lately. I know all of us are still in shock over what we saw in Neptune, but still… it hurts. It hurts to see you shut us out when it doesn't have to be that way. I don't want to see you go back to the way you used to be-- I like you the way you are now. Ami," Makoto looked her in the eye, "everyone is here for you and I'm here for you too. But… how can I help you when I don't even know what you're thinking? You're my best friend, so I…I don't want to lose you…"

Ami found herself surprised to feel the taller girl shake. No, it couldn't be.

_Is she going to cry?_

"I'm sorry... I guess I haven't been getting much sleep lately." Makoto rubbed the tears away, and bit back the oncoming sob.

"…I was scared." Ami confessed in the quiet voice. It took her friend a moment to understand what she had said.

"Scared?"

"When I first met everyone, I was afraid that no one would like me. Our first gathering was going to be the first time that I was going to meet anyone my age. But, as excited as I was, I began to dread it. I kept asking myself, 'why would anyone like me?' I'm just dull and boring Ami… All I can do is study…"

"Ami..."

"But, everyone was so nice to me. I was so relieved. At first, I wasn't sure how to interact with all of you. I-- I wanted to join in so many times, but I didn't know how. It was difficult and, very frustrating at times… I hated myself for it. 'If only I had more courage' I told myself. Before I knew it, things started to change. I remember thinking about how important my friends were to me. I wanted to protect all of you, no matter what the cost. But on Neptune…"

"…"

"It's just like you said. Every time I close my eyes, I see nothing but that day... I can still feel the fire burning at my skin... I can still hear screams and the clashing of metal..." Her voice dipped to a whisper. "While you tried to break through the fire barrier, I could only stand there and watch. I was so scared. It was like I couldn't move." _My mouth felt dry, and it was so hard to breathe._ "I never imagined how frightening a God could be, even though I am one…" Ami shivered, and tightly gripped at her shirt sleeves in a desperate attempt to ward off the cold. "I thought I was going to die if I stayed there. I wanted to run away… I'm such a coward!"

_Ami…_

"I was useless. I was utterly, and hopelessly, useless!" She sobbed.

_I thought, 'now they're all going to hate me '. I locked myself in my room. I didn't want anyone to see me. I was so ashamed with myself..._

Ami nearly jumped when Makoto wrapped her arms around her and pulled her close into a tight hug.

"Don't."

_What?_

"Please don't disappear! I-I would be very sad if you did…"

_I don't hate you._

"For what it's worth, I didn't do much either. I couldn't do anything to help any of them… But it doesn't have to stay that way. There's still time! We can both help each other, okay? All right...? Just, please stay…"

_You don't have to do this alone._

A tear fell down Ami's cheek and she nodded.

**. . .**

_**Woosh!**_

**. . .**

**Plip.**

_What?_ Ami hesitantly touched the wetness falling down her cheek. "No. No… I-I can't cry now. There is still something that I have to do. We're in the middle of a war!"

She had turned to leave when a strange, but familiar presence slipped into the room. The sheer magnitude of its influence sent chills running down her spine. Was it a trap after all? Ami's blue eyes darted back to the corner where the two young girls were huddled—they were still there, now asleep in each other's arms and unaware of the eerie energy tingling in the atmosphere.

_It's…not an illusion?_ She silently debated with herself whether or not to try and wake the girls. _No! It has to be a trap!_

**Ping!**

"Ugh!"

Ami felt her heart racing a hundred miles per hour as the presence suddenly accumulated directly behind her. Her muscles suddenly felt heavy and sluggish; the influence of the presence was undeniably massive. It was right behind her. Despite her fears she slowly turned her head; the desire to know what she was up against quickly overpowered her mind's thoughts. Her gaze fell to the floor at the sight of the shadow of a pony-tailed figure. Was it human? Maybe she had a chance after all, she hoped.

Her breathing came out in small short gasps. It was now or never. In one impulsive move she whipped her entire body around to face her adversary, only to see…

"Makoto?"

Ami gazed questioningly at the sight of her friend. Her eyes fell to the floor to where she had seen the shadow, and followed the dark shape up to where the other woman's legs stood.

_It was Makoto's shadow? But that presence…I can still sense it in within this vicinity. It feels like Makoto's, but it's different somehow. The same but different...? Is that even possible? Could I just be over-thinking it?_

"Ami, is that really you?" Makoto tilted her head at her uncertainly as she tried to get a better look at her; it was too dark. She needed to get closer.

"Stop! Don't come any closer! Before you take another step, you must first tell me something that only Jupiter Makoto and I, myself would know."

"…"

"Tell me… Who was it that murdered the first ruler of Jupiter?"

For a split second, she watched green eyes widen in surprise. What she had expected to be asked was very different from this.

Ami analyzed the figure in the doorway, patiently waiting for their response. _If_ they were going to reply using words that is. She sincerely doubted that the enemy would waste their time thinking up of a trivial response when they already had her cornered. Therefore the individual before her had already completed her first test. Now, all she needed was to hear their answer to verify their identity.

_That day… was the last day that Makoto saw her father. Both of our fathers' had come to us, promising that they would return soon, but only my father returned. He had come back with severe wounds, and was hospitalized immediately. However… the following day after he had come to, he had no recollection of his outing with Jupiter. Jupiter was gone... And with his disappearance Makoto was forced to ascend to the throne._

_Regardless, the citizens of Jupiter were not satisfied with news of my father's amnesia. Many demanded an investigation into who was responsible for this treachery. Faced with a possible war, the Planetary Council found no other choice but to declare that Mars Ares responsible for the deed._

Makoto nervously licked her lips. There was only one answer in her mind.

"It was…Apollo."

Though she had only whispered it, the name nearly manifested as haunting form within the realm of imagination-- a cold, unrelenting darkness that threatened to snuff the life from the very room; for a moment the two Goddesses almost expected the place to be engulfed in darkness and be thrown into the waiting hands of their enemy, who had nearly claimed their lives shortly before. Yet none came to pass. Ami finally nodded her approval and motioned them out to the hallway outside.

As they left the dim room she noticed that their younger selves still remained fast asleep, as if they were frozen in time together. They were like statues now, huddling together for warmth that unknowingly would become something more in the future. Still, despite the fact that the pair was likely a figment of her imagination the woman felt pity for them. The knowledge of what was to come, and what they would never see again… it was not within her power to change one's fate, even if it were her past self. She could barely hold her own in the ever-changing present. This was the way it was.

"Ami, what are you looking at?"

"…Nothing. It's nothing."

With one last look, she finally left the room—leaving the door open in hopes that what little light they had in their lives would continue to protect them from the darkness.

**

* * *

**

**To be continued…**


	37. Against the Sun: Price of Heaven part 2

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Sailor Moon**

**

* * *

**

_**Woosh!**_

**Tup…tup…tup…**

"So…How did you find me?"

Makoto saw her friend frown. It wasn't the welcoming smile that she had hoped for, but given their circumstances she couldn't blame her. Even this predicament had her stumped.

"I mean," Ami continued, "my computer couldn't locate anything. So how did you even know I was here?"

Makoto looked thoughtful for a moment. "You know...I never really thought about that."

"Thought about what?"

"How I found you. I mean, I know this is going to sound weird, but... Oh, I don't really know how to explain it! When I came to, I was by the 'resting site'. The tree was in bloom and… before I knew it I was walking. It was like... somehow, I just knew that I needed to come here."

_It was as if my body knew where to go._

"And that was when you found me?"

"Mm." Makoto nodded. She heard her friend sigh.

"Really, Makoto...Although I'm glad that you found me, you should have been more careful. You were about to enter the room before you confirmed whether or not it was truly me! What if I was the enemy and it was a trap?"

"But it wasn't."

"That's not the point! You could have been hurt or worse yet--"

Ami was about to say more, but Makoto held up her hand. "I know, and I'm sorry I worried you...but I did check first. I read your aura...AND...As soon as you told me to stop and answer a question, you confirmed my suspicions. The enemy wouldn't have asked me that. Only the real Ami would."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Huh?"

"It's...never mind." _Before I encountered those images of our past selves, I would have believed the same thing. But our enemy somehow seems to know things that I haven't told anyone else. That's why... when Makoto answered my question I wasn't looking for a straight answer. It was the type of answer that mattered. She knows the truth, but..._ "In any case, did you sense any of the others on your way here?"

"No. I haven't sensed anybody." She paused. "For some reason...I can't sense them at all. You don't think..."

"Although it is a very real possibility, I highly doubt it is the reason our senses have turned up nothing. If anything else, I think it has something to do with our current surroundings."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"First of all, you have probably noticed how similar the surroundings are to your home. I admit, I was somewhat surprised, myself, when I came to, but it is impossible that we were teleported back to Jupiter. Neither of us possesses the ability nor the strength to do so."

"Then… what does it mean? Are we dreaming?"

With that, Ami reached up with a one hand and pinched the taller woman on the cheek. "OUCH! …Okaaaay--!!…so it's NOT a dream…" _But you didn't have to pinch me that hard!_

"That's right. As you can see, we are both definitely alive and awake. Therefore it cannot be a dream. However, an illusion is an entirely different story." Ami crossed her arms over her chest. "This is only speculation, but… what if we are trapped within an enemy's illusion? Not only do these surroundings defy logic but they are also putting us at a disadvantage that would normally not occur. My computer…" she looked down at the machine, "…and the suppression of our ability to trace signatures. If we're ever separated then it's possible that we may never find one another again…"

"Don't worry! That'll never happen. We'll just have to stick to each other like glue." Makoto confidently assured her. "In any case, it sounds like you've got it all figured out. We know what we're dealing with, but... the only question now is… what are we going to do about it? Is there any way we can get out of here?"

Ami looked thoughtful. She knew the answer, yet she was always hesitant to deliver such dangerous news.

"Logically speaking, with the majority of spells… one's best chance to overcome the spell is to defeat its caster or the source of its power. However this approach requires a direct confrontation, and under these circumstances we're already at a disadvantage."

"So, basically...the problem is that the spell is an illusion, right? And there's no telling where our attacker is. Hmm...I mean, when you look at it like that it seems kind of strange, don't you think? If we're under an illusion, then it's like this is all in our heads. Why haven't they killed us yet?"

"Wait, what did you just say?"

"Why they haven't killed us?"

"No, before that."

"Oh. Well...if it was an illusion, then it must be in our heads, right?"

Makoto watched for the longest time as Ami silently thought to herself. She didn't quite understand it, but whatever she just said it must have been really important.

"...It's not an illusion." She finally said.

"What?"

"It is, but not the type we were thinking of! I hadn't considered it until now, but you just made a very good point. In an illusion, we would have to be alive to be under its influence. That means...while our minds are under its spell, we would still perceive pain, fear and etc. However, if it was simple as that, then we shouldn't be alive right now..." A sharp looking came into her blue eyes. "The key lies in our surroundings."

"I'm sorry, but I still quite see what you're getting at... If it's not an illusion, then what is it?"

"Something worse," Ami mumbled. "We've been trapped in another dimension."

Behind her, she could hear her friend gasp. "Wha—But how?! Are you really sure about that?"

"Well...Although I admit I'm not one-hundred percent sure, I am fairly certain. As I've said, the answer lies in our surroundings. I've only read about it, but...when a user creates an alternative dimension you would expect that the settings would be warped in appearance--because it is a warped piece of space in reality. As you can see, this is not the case."

Makoto scratched her head. "I don't want to sound mean, but...didn't you just disprove your theory?"

"It may seem like it at first...but we need to keep in mind that there's no guarantee that our enemy hasn't changed its appearance. What perturbs me is...how detailed they've made it. There's also the off-chance that they are able to read our minds."

"...Seriously? Why do you say that?"

"It's just a hunch."

Makoto frowned. She knew that Ami would never say something so serious due to a mere hunch. An uneasy silence descended into the hall.

"Okay... I get it. So we have to be careful. But that still doesn't explain what we have to do. If we're in another dimension, then does that mean our enemy is in here too?"

"It's very likely."

"Then I guess that settles it. If we want to get out of here, we're going to have to fight them!" Makoto said grimly.

"That's what worries me." Ami slowly admitted. "If it's Apollo himself...then..."

_If we fight him by ourselves he'll kill us._

Both women locked eyes, bright green meeting blue. Deep down in their hearts they knew of the danger that may be awaiting them at the end of this road. If their captor was indeed the mighty Sun God, then their chances of survival were bordering on nil—such a meeting would be the equivalent of the kiss of death, a promise of eternal slumber that would come regardless of how torturous the end. He nearly had them then. What difference was there now? Perhaps, whatever miracles they were briefly granted along the way did nothing but postpone their cruel fate.

"I know…" Makoto gently assured her. "But, it's a chance we have to take. Everyone is counting on us! We have to try, no matter what happens…" She took Ami's hands into hers. They felt cold. "Remember? That was the promise we made."

"_For what it's worth, I didn't do much either. I couldn't do anything to help any of them… But it doesn't have to stay that way. There's still time! We can both help each other, okay?" _

_I remember... This is precisely why we wanted to become strong in the first place. Not just for our own sakes, but for our friends as well._

Ami gently squeezed back. She was afraid of where this would lead them, but as long as Makoto was by her side then it was all right. She wasn't alone anymore.

"The most likely place where we will find our opponent…." She whispered. "…is _that_ place. The place with his seal."

_**Woosh!**_

(Desert)

The scenery seemed to pass them by. The entrance of the palace, the bristling city with its transparent citizens, with their booths and ivory towers... They never spared them a glance as they passed, and they never looked back. The two women soon reached the city shield's outer limits and found themselves staring out across miles of golden sand. For a moment, they stood there and felt the burden upon their shoulders; the uncertainty between was undeniable. To reach the jungle bush in the distance, they would have to take that first step and they did.

Halfway through the desert they were caught up in a sandstorm. The wind howled in their ears and threw sand into their faces; the angled grains scraped roughly against the unprotected skin of their arms and legs left uncovered by their transformation outfits, leaving a series of stinging marks. Still, they pushed forwards. Makoto increasingly fought to keep her balance; the combination of her heavily weighed footsteps in the unstable ground and the wind blowing against her tall frame threatened to topple her over. The green-eyed ruler let out a gasp when an abnormally strong gust took her by surprise from behind and threw her forwards. She tried to catch herself but ended up rolling down the sand dune. When she finally stopped she blindly reached out, calling out Ami's name, and was thoroughly startled when a hand flew out and clasped hers firmly. She tilted her face up to find Ami smiling encouragingly at her. The blue-haired Goddess was pointing to something in the distance-- up ahead the splash of green could be seen. They were almost there. Makoto blinked once before she smiled as well. Hand in hand the two pushed onwards.

At the edge of the desert, they broke through the sandstorm and walked the final stretch to the jungle entrance.

"Hey Ami…? I know this is going to sound really weird, but...where do you think Gods go after they die?"

"I don't know. I suppose where the other deceased have gone… Why do you ask?"

"I was just thinking… even if Gods can living forever, is it worth it? Is living forever worth not going to a place like Heaven?"

_Is it? I don't know…_

The wind stood its ground relentlessly and the sun continued to bake their fatigued bodies… yet despite that, their steps strangely felt lighter.

"Never mind. Forget I asked. It's a stupid question..."

Finally they reached the jungle. Reluctantly, Makoto let go of Ami's hand to let her partner step forward in an attempt to scan the area.

**Bleep. Bleep. Bleep.**

**Tappity-tap, tap, tap!**

As Ami proceeded with the initial investigation, Makoto cautiously inspected their planned entry point. She had noticed it as soon as they had arrived, but she assumed it was merely a figment of her imagination due to their time in the ruthless desert; a hallucination brought on by the sun and dehydration. However… now that she knelt down and stared intensely at the plants at her feet, it was unmistakable. There were trees and shrubs everywhere, covering every inch of the jungle ground.

"It's gone." She muttered.

"What is?"

"The trail," she pointed. "There was a trail here that led into the heart of the jungle. It was the same one we used when you guys came to help me investigate. But now, it's gone! It's like it just completely vanished!"

Makoto stepped away from the area and returned to Ami's side. After another minute of silence Ami finally disengaged her system and tucked the machine away.

"Well, what do you think? Did you find anything?"

"It's strange…" Makoto tilted her head at the comment. "The disappearance of the trail and this interference... Logically speaking, under the assumption that this dimension is responsible for the interference to my computer's operations, the closer we become to the source the stronger the interference should be. At this point I shouldn't be able to start my system. But I can…and worse yet, the interference here is the same as it was in the palace."

"But how can that be?" Makoto whispered.

_Is the enemy closer than we think? Are they watching our every move, even at this second?_

She turned to face the desert and stared out into the stretch of sand. In memory its presence was still as threatening as ever, but in reality it was no more or less than when they had taken it on. Yet, somehow, staring at the unending sea of emptiness lit an unexplainable, sudden surge of anger within her.

Startled by the unsettling, fiery emotion within her chest, Makoto ripped her gaze away from the sight and turned her back on it completely as a new wave of resentment sunk in. The nervous courage she possessed earlier was becoming dangerously fuelled by a stronger confidence, one that was pushing away her fears and limitations in the wake of brash impulsiveness. Why did she suddenly want to shout at Ami for being so hesitant? Her determined green eyes narrowed at the shorter woman, finding that her impatience was beginning to slip from her control.

There was a whisper in the wind. Before her sight, there was a dark energy encompassing her friend. 'Danger', the word punctuated her thoughts.

_No! I--What am I thinking?! I trust Ami with my life! _Makoto's eyes snapped shut. Forcefully she squashed the upsetting emotions, and allowed reasoning to take breathing soon calmed her impulsive bravado until her head was clear again, and she could finally think straight.

"Makoto, are you all right? You look a little out of breath..." Ami asked in concern.

"Y-Yeah… I'm okay." She shrugged and shook away the cold feeling. "I guess… I haven't quite recovered from our walk in the desert yet."

Ami abruptly snapped her fingers and Makoto was surprised when a rush of cold water hit her from overhead.

**Snap!**

**Splash!**

"Pfff—Woah! C-C-Cold!"

"How about now...? Do you feel any better?"

"Yeah... much better actually! Thanks, a bunch! I really needed that!" Makoto briefly smiled. "But… what are we going to do now? If the interference is the same here, should we even bother with trying to get to that place? I mean, even if the trail is gone, I'm sure we could find it if we tried."

They both stared ahead at the jungle where their path should have been. Long weeds and shrubs could trip them at any time, and their enemy could be lurking within the darkness or up in the trees. Any mistake could be their last.

"It's dark in there," Ami quietly said.

"…Yeah, but… you're not alone." Makoto walked forward a few steps and stopped. She then turned around and extended out her hand to the other woman. "I'm right here with you. Remember?"

The gesture in Ami's eyes reminded her of their childhood days, particularly that day on Neptune when she was overwhelmed by fear. Makoto had reached out to her then and she still did so now.

"Let's go."

_Let's go together._

_**Woosh!**_

(Jungle)

The cracking of breaking twigs and the crunching of leaves along the ground's floor sounded under their feet as they forced their way through the rough vegetation. Undoubtedly, their current hike was proving itself to be many times more exhausting than their first excursion through the headstrong wilderness; without a trail to guide their way their steps were shaky and unsure, and they were continually being scratched by the branches that reached out and attempted to block their way. However despite it all, there was one thing that hadn't changed. The place was eerily quiet.

**…****ping…**

Ami's eyes darted left and then right-- her acute senses were high on the alert.

_That same presence from the palace… It's all around us._

A cool breeze brushed up the back of her neck and sent shivers running down the woman's spine. The leaves were rustling all around them, and the temperature was starting to drop. Unconsciously, Ami wondered how her partner was coping with all of this; she was walking a few steps in front of her and had been quiet for some time now. However, Makoto appeared oblivious to the change of their surroundings. The tall woman's green eyes were darker, and somewhat unfocused. Whispery words crept through the trees, weak as echoes, and reached her ears. But what she heard was the heavy thudding of footsteps—her entire body felt weighed down and her pulsed raced as if she were the one who was running.

All the while, her vision became dimmer and the path before her blurred and warped.

_**Woosh!**_

**. . .**

**Tup. Tup. Tup.**

"_Jupiter, are you positive this is the right way? It feels like we've been wandering through this blasted jungle for hours!"_

_Jupiter slowed in his pace and came to a halt just ahead of the other man. "Shh…" he gestured._

_Mercury tilted his head in question, but as soon as he caught sight of the structure up ahead his earlier irritation vanished. Although its appearance had somewhat deteriorated due to the unforgiving ravages of time, the stone arena still bore its distinguishing patterns and the engraved insignia of the Sun God, Apollo. They had found it._

"_So there it is."_

"_Wait, Mercury! We should stay away from it until we know it's safe."_

"_That's ridiculous. How do you expect me to analyze it at a distance?" The God retorted. "We haven't got all day to stand around and watch it. The sooner we get this over with the better."_

_Ignoring his friend's warning, Mercury cautiously approached the moss-covered arena and inspected it under a scrutinizing eye. He would often tilt his head, either crossing his arms or adapting a thoughtful stance as he circled around the dormant structure. At last, Mercury stopped to inspect a particular eroded stone block of the arena. It was chipped and somewhat eroded, making it somewhat difficult to read, but he could make out the Sun King's insignia engraved in the stone._

_His eyes flashed._

"_Yes. There is no doubt about it. This is it." He concluded with confidence. "It is a good thing that you contacted me before it had the chance to do anymore damage."_

_Jupiter nodded in agreement. "Yes, I think so too. There's really no telling what this thing is truly capable of. What made Ares go mad that day…"_

"_I'm sure his blood-lust was partially to blame. You know how those Martians were in the war. They were like blood-thirsty animals. Although I will give Ares some credit for doing the right thing, that fool was especially weak willed towards destructive activities himself."_

"_Mercury…"_

_Jupiter's words were lost on deaf ears when he resumed inspecting the ruin before him. The God knew that once his friend had set his mind to something it was very difficult to convince him otherwise._

"_Hmm… what's this?" Mercury muttered under his breath. Beneath the insignia there was small text that he hadn't noticed before. As he reached out his hand to get a better look at the writing, the symbols began to glow with a golden light—before the God could blink, a tiny sphere of light shot out and hit him square in the chest; Mercury stumbled back in surprise._

"_Oof!"_

"_Mercury?! Is something wrong?" Jupiter went to his friend's side._

"_What...? What in Mercury was that?" The shorthaired man mouthed back in shock. For a moment, there was uncertainty flickering in his darkened eyes._

"_I asked if you were all right. You sudden fell!"_

"_Oh. I-I suppose I momentarily lost my balance…" He mumbled as Jupiter helped him up to his feet. "But never mind that. We have still have work to do."_

"_Yes. Yes, you're absolutely right. But please keep in mind that although the ruin appears to be dormant, it is still dangerous! We must finish this as quickly as possible."_

**. . .**

_**Woosh!**_

**Tup. Tup. Tup.**

"Makoto...? Makoto!" Someone was insistently shaking her shoulder from behind. Makoto's lashes briefly fluttered before she turned her head to see who was calling her. This time, there was no feeling stirring within her chest as her dark green eyes focused on the shorter woman. Her pulse wasn't racing, and she didn't even feel a spark of overwhelming relief or happiness. She felt nothing.

The wind had changed.

"What is it?" She asked as she coolly regarded her.

"W-Where were you going?"

"What do you mean?"

"I turned my head for a moment and before I knew it, you were walking off on your own! Didn't you hear me? I kept calling to you, but you wouldn't stop!" Ami grasped her hands. "I know this looks like your home, and you think you know where you're going...but please remember...this is still an illusion! We need to stay close, no matter what!"

For a moment Makoto peered around with indifference at her new surroundings. So she was in a different part of the jungle then when she had last remembered. So what? She peered down at the woman holding her hands tightly. The fear emitting from her was like a foul stench.

The brunette pulled out of her grip was about to push her away when a sob reached her ears. For a moment the thought registered.

_Did I make her cry?_

Her eyes flickered, becoming brighter for a second as the desire to comfort her blossomed. But like a flower it wilted when her head painfully throbbed.

**Ba-Dap!**

_Ah!_

"Makoto?" For a moment, nothing but the rustling leaves could be heard. The shadows created by the overhead sun, which managed to filter through the canopy foliage, were being cut and scattered.

"Stop clinging onto me!" Makoto snarled and forcefully pushed Ami away. The shorter woman fell to the ground in shock.

"Don't you get it yet? Stop clinging onto others so much! What happened to your so called desire to become a strong ruler? Just look at you. You can barely stand on your own two legs!" She gestured. "No confidence, no courage at all! I never imagined you to be this weak-willed. It's no wonder why others can't rely on you!"

"Makoto, what are you saying?" Ami asked shakily.

There was something wrong. Something was very wrong. But despite knowing that it didn't ease the pain of her words any less; they stabbed her heart like thousands of prickling thorns.

"I'm saying that you're a disgr--" Her words trailed off when something ahead of them caught her eye. In morbid curiosity, Ami turned to see what distracted had her partner. Her blood instantly ran cold; beyond the leaves and branches, further up ahead, was the crumbled ruin of the arena. Memories of her last encounter with that place flashed before her eyes like she was about to die. 'Danger', her mind insistently warned. Ami's entire body began to tremble uncontrollably; the influence leaking out from that place was overpowering.

Overhead the sunlight shifted, filtering through the leaves at a new angle upon their forms and threw their shadows onto the ground behind them. The dark form spreading away from Makoto's feet retained its owner's shape for only a split second before flickering into another's.

Makoto felt like she was sinking into a fog.

_I feel…weird…_

To Ami's surprise Makoto suddenly stepped forward, her intentions were perfectly clear.

**Tup.**

"No! What are you thinking? We mustn't go near it!" Ami leapt to her feet and ran around in front of parter, desperately trying to hold her back. "Remember, this is a trap! What if Apollo is waiting for us there?!"

**Tup.**

"M-Makoto?! AH!"

With one strong push, she threw Ami aside and brushed past her bruised form as though she didn't exist.

"Makoto, wait! It's too danger---" Ami's words froze in mid-air. Her friend's glowing black eyes were nearly as startling as her expression. For some reason, Makoto looked terrified.

_...Why does she look so afraid?_

'**Are you afraid, Mercury? Do you fear for the safety of your beloved daughter?'**

"WAIT!"

Makoto broke out into a sprint, and as she did so Ami thought she glimpsed another person's outline running beside her distancing form; a shorthaired man in a suit of armor was running with her stride for stride. The flash of Mercury's insignia on his shoulder plate paralyzed the young woman in her tracks.

_What?_

Ami reached out her hand towards the retreating back, and felt a strange sensation well up deep inside as Makoto drew further and further out of her reach.

_Don't go!_ She mouthed.

**CracKle...**

She had barely thought the words when a spark of green energy erupted around her outstretched hand and disappeared into the air before her. Ami instantly jerked her hand back and stared at the palm in question. Her fingertips were still tingling from the electric sensation—it really did feel as if she had discharged a portion of her aura, but she could see nothing there. There had been a green spark there a second ago, hadn't there?

The stomping of Makoto's distant footsteps snapped the young woman out of her thoughts, reminding her of their predicament.

_I've got to stop her!_

**Stomp! Crack! Crack! Crunch!**

**Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!**

(Arena Ruin)

Ami came to an abrupt halt as she entered the area. Instantly, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and her arms were breaking out into goosebumps. But she pushed her discomfort aside for the one person she came here for.

Ami's blue eyes studied her partner with concern. The man's transparent outline was no longer present, however his presence appeared to have transformed into blue, glowing spheres of lights that continued to encircle Makoto's tall frame.

"What's happening?" Ami's eyes widened, and she gasped. _That aura… It can't be!_

Makoto stared at the arena with serious interest, before she approached it without any warning.

"Wait! Don't you remember what happened last time?!" Ami cried out to her. She hands clenched into tiny fists. She was the only one there who could stop her. She had to stop her!

Suppressing her uncertainties and fears she broke out into a run.

**"****What if she was taken away from you? Do you really believe she can survive in this world? A shy, delicate little thing, isn't she…?"**

"Don't do it!"

Makoto reached her hand out to a specific tile on the arena's side. Her fingers dipped below the faded insignia and, slowly, in her own blood she traced a pattern of symbols onto the stone. One by one the symbols began to spring to life with a golden glow.

"You don't know what you're doing!"

**"**_**You don't know what you're doing!"**_

**FLASH!**

Makoto leapt back as a golden light erupted into the area, filling it with its presence. Though the energy upheld its disguise of purity its true intention sprung forth to taint. Orange flames showered down onto the area and concentrated towards the borders of the jungle spacing. Meanwhile, the blue orbs circling Makoto's body became erratic during this revelation.

Amidst the rising flames rose the stench of burnt remains. They had been forced to separate but Ami still called out to the other woman.

"…Makoto! Makoto, snap out of it!" She pleaded.

Indifferent dark eyes reflected the light from the licking flames and the barren patch of ground before her, but they still did not see the blue-haired woman; inside it was pitch black. She was floating in cold, empty, nothingness. Vaguely she recalled that someone should have been by her side-- she reached out and felt the cool space--there should have been someone there but it was empty. Loneliness… the thought came to mind. A short while ago she hadn't been lonely; someone had visited her, telling her she could sleep now if she wished to. It wouldn't be painful he promised. Although he had reminded her of someone she once knew he wasn't the person that she was missing. And because that person wasn't there, she could not stay there.

…_Makoto! Makoto, snap out of it!_

Makoto wearily opened her eyes and stared up into the darkness. It was lighter now, and somehow warmer. Was that where she should go?

"Makoto!"

The dark fog over Makoto's green eyes dissipated and finally reflected the other woman's image.

"H-Huh?" Makoto blinked back. She instinctively raised a hand to cover her eyes from the blinding light. "Ouch!" _Where did all this light come from?!_

The splash of gold died down, and Makoto's eyes widened in horror; she was met in the face by a surrounding wall of blue flames. Panic hit her to the core. She frantically whipped her head to all sides, trying to locate an exit. Yet each and every attempt ended with a glaring view of the menacing wall, its flames licking the air as though they were hounds about eat in the first time in years.

'This—this can't be happening! It's just an illusion right? It can't be real! Hah—uhh—It's not real!"

Stubbornly Makoto glared in determination at the fiery barrier. No matter what she would find a way out!

"Ami!" She spotted her at a distance. "Ami, are you all--"

_Huh? Why is she looking at me like that?_

"...Ami?" Her voice came more out timid this time. Why were her eyes regarding her with such worry? Why were they so afraid?

Makoto reached out a hand towards the shorter woman, meaning to comfort her, when suddenly her hand jerked back towards her.

"What?!"

Ami stared at Makoto as one of the blue orbs began circling rapidly about the woman's right wrist and began to spark. Makoto clasped her left hand over her shaking arm and tried to steady herself as her power was being forcefully dragged out of her. Green energy, too, soon joined the blue in a maddening spiral of power.

"Arrrrgh… ah—ahhh… s-stop! STOP IT!" Makoto shouted.

**Spark-crackle…cRacKle--- FLAAAAAASH!**

In that instant the energy exploded, and transformed. Within seconds Jupiter's spear was held firmly in her grasp.

"W-Why…" Makoto narrowed her eyes at the weapon in her hand. _But I didn't want to summon it!_

The Goddess's fears skyrocketed when her body suddenly shifted into an offensive position on its own accord.

**Swiiiiiiiish…kitch.**

"H-Hey! Stop!" She protested. Makoto viciously began to struggle for dominance over her body, but she found that her commands were being overpowered by stronger influence. As she continued to helplessly flounder, unknowingly, to her, the transparent outline became visible around her form once more.

_**Woosh!**_

**. . .**

"_Mercury!" Jupiter cried out; his friend had his head in his hands and shook as if he was in pain. "Mercury! What's wrong?"_

"_Get away from me!" Mercury threw out one of his hands from his head and materialized his gun. Without hesitation he unleashed a series of rounds at all directions as if fighting an invisible force._

"_Get away, get away, get away--!" __**BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! **__"GET… AWAY FROM ME!"_

"_Merc---"_

_**-------zip!**_

_The last shot zipped past Jupiter's ear and destroyed a section of the jungle behind him._

_**KABLAAAAM!!!!**_

**"**_**What if they were all…Dead…?**_

…………………………_**..…………..Dead….**_

…………………………_**..………………………Dead…………."**_

"_HYAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!"_

**. . .**

_**Woosh!**_

The outline around Makoto howled in rage. This time, the enraged bellow reached Makoto's ears.

_What is that?!_ Her entire body was trembling so badly that she could barely hold onto her weapon.

_**Woosh!**_

**. . .**

**BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!**

_Jupiter sidestepped and evaded the oncoming shots, each blast narrowly missing their target by precious milliseconds. The sound of exploding stone and wood echoed in their wake._

_Mercury glowered at the elusive God, furiously cursing his poor aim under his breath._

**"…****Do you really think that you could possibly defeat me?"**

_The blue-haired ruler clenched his jaw. A dark shadow behind Jupiter superimposed itself over the man's form and solidified. Mercury's breathes came out in shorter rasps, seething with unrivalled hatred at the mockery presented before him. He could barely contain his trembling._

**Ping!**

'_Ugh! What…?'_

_A light-headed sensation struck the man head on as the scene before him dimmed and darkened. A misty sort of fog surrounded the Sun King's image; Apollo watched his former subject through half-lidded eyes, as if one were looking upon another in fond memory, before rising off of the ground just enough so that his feet would no longer touch such filth. Then, in one smooth motion, he bowed._

_Mercury's entire body tensed. He held his breath. Unconsciously, his eyes followed the hand that gestured to the God's feet. He blinked._

**Fwish!**

_There was a flash of light and the ground was suddenly stained by blood. He opened his mouth in a wordless gasp as some trickled towards his feet. The mutilated corpses of his comrades lay motionless along the ground, each of them having met death's door unwillingly as displayed in their contorted positions. Ugly… their faces still screamed rage even before their blood had run dry. Instead of dying as Gods, they had died in the image of vengeful demons._

_In his horror, Mercury quickly sought for his best friend. But the God, unlike the others, became the most twisted and hideous of all. Cold, empty eyes glared up accusingly into pained blue one as the air grew frigid._

"_N-No…!" Mercury impulsively turned to run. But instead of running from his fear he came face to face to the one thing that would destroy him._

"_!"_

**…****Creeeak…creeeak…**

"…_Ami…?"_

_The little girl that he had left behind in the safety of the palace, where he was positive that she would be safe in his absence, hung from a rope attached to an invisible ceiling. There was a noose securely wrapped about the girl's slim neck. Her limp corpse swung slightly, her life already claimed and falling away with the crimson liquid dripping from the tips of her fingernails._

…_A shy girl who had the most precious smile to him was gone._

…_The one who he wished to protect, who he cherished more than anyone else…was..._

…_gone…_

…_gone…_

…_gone…_

**"****It's a present for you****."** _Apollo softly remarked from behind him, without having changed his position. Even at a distance the Sun God could hear the rapid thumping of Mercury's heart. It was a wonderful sound; like a frightened rabbit who was about to die of a heart attack._

**"****Don't you like it? Mercury…?"**

_Meanwhile, Jupiter gazed upon his friend's backside warily. The blue-haired man's fit of rage had abruptly died down into still silence, one that was proving to be difficult to read. Was it safe to approach him? Had he finally regained his senses?_

"_Mercury…?" The God stepped forward—once—and then twice._

**Ka-chink**

_No sooner than he had uttered the name a gun had been whipped around and aimed at the heart beating within his chest. Jupiter's eyes widened._

"_DIE."_

**TUP!**

**BOOOOOM!**

"_ARRRRRGH----!!!!"_

_Jupiter stumbled off balance to the side and fell to one knee. His shoulder armor had been obliterated in the blast, leaving behind badly burnt skin._

'_Although I've somehow managed to avoid the blunt of the shot... How could his power be this strong? This armor was especially crafted to withstand against spiritual assaults. Even a God would have difficulty damaging it! But to have completely rendered this piece useless and to have injured me to this extent with a single shot…'_

'_Does he truly wish to kill me that badly?'_

'_WHY?'_

_Green eyes looked up, searching for understanding…_

…_Hurt…_

_Dark clouded blue eyes sought for destruction._

…_Murderous intent…_

_The transformation in his best friend's demeanour sent Jupiter's hopes shattering into irreparable pieces. Before the abrupt transformation, he had sensed insecurity and a deep, suffocating fear overcoming his friend. He had looked like a spooked animal being driven into a corner, fighting with an opponent that only he could see. What had happened? The man glowering at him, with those unnatural, lost eyes of his was Mercury and yet it wasn't._

'_If I don't do something... He'll kill me.'_

**. . .**

_**Woosh!**_

**Tup!**

Makoto had started charging.

_D-Damn it! I can't stop myself!_

"Get out of the way Ami!" She warned in a panicked voice as her arms drew her spear back for a downward, diagonal strike. "I-I can't control my body!"

Ami's mind froze for a split-second at the sight of Makoto charging _at_ her. She was aiming to hurt _her_. The impact of the other's woman's words registered much slower, convincing her at the last second to try and move. Only, she found that she couldn't. Her legs were frozen to the spot!

_What? Why can't I-I can't move?! My legs-- _Frantically Ami reached down with her hands and tried to force her limbs to barely glanced up again when Makoto was upon her. The blade gleamed menacingly at its zenith before it came down with a crushing blow of delivering judgement.

"_DIE."_

"Ami!"

**TUP!**

**SLASH!**

"Augh!" Ami cried out in pain as she crashed shoulder first into the ground, and gasped out in forced, choked breaths until she finally rolled to a stop. As she lay there, trembling on the hard, barren floor, her mind and body screamed out—mortified at its lack of action in the face of danger.

With a shaky hand, while ignoring Makoto's yells of concern, she gently felt the spreading wetness that was soaking her left shoulder. Ami winced; the cut was fairly deep. Without a second thought she instinctively tried to heal it, only to see a blue aura already encasing the wound. What should have been a quick process became nothing but a fancy display. Her powers were doing nothing. Ami stared incredulously at the wound; why were her powers ineffective? She narrowed her eyes, analyzing the blue light. It was her power, but—

She gasped.

_This power it isn't mine. It feels similar to mine, but… it's not me!_

With some obvious effort, she heaved herself back up to her fee and felt the effects immediately. Her body felt weak due to the accumulation of wounds and fatigue, especially now that her wounds refused to heal. Panting for breath, her blue eyes re-focused on Makoto. The woman had remained still and watchful from where she had struck her friend down.

_For some reason I couldn't move... And then, before I knew it, just when I thought it was all over my legs suddenly moved on their own! It's like… _She gasped. _What if…_

"Ami, are you all right?!" The glow of blue light being emitted from Makoto's spear tore Ami's attention away from the woman, rendering her deaf to her friend's concerns.

_That light…_ Her senses recognized it. _It's the same as the one upon my shoulder! But, that presence… _

The outline around Makoto flickered strongly in the shorter woman's vision. As Makoto's body began to pace side to side on the spot, the outline steadily became clearer. Ami's eyes widened as the man's booted feet appeared first. The sounds of his footsteps—Makoto's footsteps-- crunched loudly within her ears. Then his legs, the armor about his waist, his chest and the signature gun gripped tightly within his strong hands came into view. Ami's body furiously trembled, her spirit was terribly shaken inside as his face came into view.

"F…"

…_.Father--!!_

Ami violently flinched when she met the specter's cold, intense eyes. There was an indescribable depth of fury raging in them. _Mercury is dead._ She had heard the phrase enough times to last her a lifetime. Yet seeing his form, standing before her as she remembered him, it was difficult to truly wrap her mind around painful truth. Why was he here? Her father had died years ago, he was dead—his spirit should be resting peacefully. Had she done something to disgrace the prideful ruler, a deed terrible enough to prompt him to possess her best friend to carry out her punishment? The wound from her shoulder painfully ached…

All of these questions buzzed around in her mind, dragging her spirit farther and farther into the depths of despair. Because it was then that she realized…

_He's not looking at me._

**Lubb Dubb… Lubb Dubb…**

Although her father's clouded eyes burned with an intense desire for justice, his pulsing aura around her wound emanated pain and sorrow. Ami's fingertips brushed against the shimmering light. An image of a faceless individual, seated upon an invisible throne, was mocking him. Her father was crying desperately over someone's body-- one that she could not clearly make out.

_He's fighting someone. Someone powerful._ Ami's desire to run to him and comfort him grew stronger. She wished to talk with him despite his aloof demeanour towards her when she was a child; at one point he was all she had.

_But… I am no longer a child…_ In the vision she saw her father slowly look up from the unmoving person and glowered at the laughing being. At the same instant, Makoto's body tensed; the veins in her head and arms became noticeably visible in her attempts to struggle against whatever had possessed her.

_Oh no--! It's--It's going to start again!_ Her muscles hummed with the energy encompassing her form.

"No…I won't...!" Makoto hissed through clenched teeth. Sparks of her power flared up, momentarily stalling her movements, but her rebellious attempts were forcefully crushed by the blue aura surrounding her.

"AH!"

_Why? Why can't I stop this? Something is controlling me..._ She felt herself straighten up and draw her weapon back into an offensive position once more. _Am I really that weak?_

_**Woosh!**_

"_This shouldn't be happening…" Jupiter sadly remarked. A green light lit between his hands, beginning at one end and extending far up to the tip of a gleaming spear. "But I cannot allow you to kill me."_

"_She is still a child… yet due to our carelessness, because we had believed that the contraptions would remain dormant without his presence, this tragedy has occurred! You wouldn't wish for something like that to happen to your own child, would you?"_

"_You wouldn't wish for something like that to happen to your child, would you?"_

_**Woosh!**_

"_For Makoto… I cannot."_

_**Woosh!**_

"_I cannot allow you to kill me."_

**Ping!**

"I-Is someone there?! Oh!" Ami was startled when her arm abruptly shot out in front of her.

Instantly she felt the pull on her powers, feeling the energy concentrating into the palm of her hand. There was no doubt in her mind of what was going to happen next. However, she did nothing to resist it. She sensed it then; deep inside, another consciousness was awakening. Its influence over her body was steadily growing, gently flowing throughout her limbs as though it were silently requesting for permission. There was something pure about its intentions that made it nearly impossible for Ami to refuse it control over her body.

_This warm light… I've felt it before._ She closed her eyes, sensing the presence out. _But from where?_

Green spheres of light appeared and circled around her form. She could barely make them out.

_It feels like Makoto's? _Ami's eyes snapped open and she gasped. _Now I remember! I sensed the very same presence within that room! _

"Ami, it's starting again!"

_Then that means…The memories, and that day--!_

To the far side of the area, Makoto leapt into the beginnings of an offensive rush. Her footsteps started slowly as they felt out the appropriate rhythm. Then her momentum steadily began to increase.

_My father is within Makoto… and… HERS is within me?!_

As the tall woman closed in, the green spheres surrounding Ami's body shone brighter. Within a brilliantly flash of light the outline of Jupiter emerged and stabilized. His form fell partially into the blue-haired woman; her arms became his and her legs stood for him. For a time, even her heart and the heartbeat of the deceased God's were beating in synch.

**Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!**

Amongst the roar of approaching footsteps, Jupiter opened his eyes. There was hurt swimming in his beautiful green eyes, but the strong sense of commitment in them was overwhelming.

Makoto, now in a full out sprint, had shut her eyes tight in fear of the inevitable. But the mysterious appearance of a familiar presence alerted her senses, unconsciously prompting the woman to peek.

_Geh--!_ If she had control over herself the sight of the ghostly figure would have frozen her to spot! _I-I-It's…_ She resisted harder, prompting her possessor to forcefully draw her weapon back.

In the face of this challenge, Jupiter's determined green eyes never reflected recognition of the young Goddess charging him. Ami's eyes widened further as she felt her energy drawn into the palm of her hand.

As Makoto leapt up, Jupiter instantly summoned his spear and Ami's gun materialized!

**FWOOSH!**

"HaaaAAAAAH!"

**SLASH---  
BLAM!!!**

Ami's shot had re-directed Makoto's spear, allowing the shorter girl time to re-create the distance between them once more. Her attacking scheme fell into an entirely different rhyme that she was unaccustomed to. Yet her body seemed to know how to quickly adapt; each twist and turn, the sheer improvement in her evasiveness and accuracy of her shot continued to amaze her.

_No matter where we went, we couldn't locate where the source of this dimension was… Everywhere we walked, the strength of the foreign presence was the same…_

**Blam! Blam! Blam!**

**Slash—Shink! Ting!**

_We couldn't find the casters of the spell because they were inside of us this entire time!_

Mercury and Jupiter locked eyes.

_This is… their dimension!_

**Slash!**

**Slash!**

**Slash!**

**SLASH----TIIIIING!**

Ami break-rolled along the ground as Makoto's metal blade collided with the fire barrier behind her. Even as she broke away she could still feel the flames hotly breathe down her back.

_If that is true… then in order for us to escape, it is them that we must defeat! The only question is...How?_

**SLASH----**

**Tup! **

**---Thud.**

Ami heard Makoto breath out a sigh of relief at her last near miss; the blade dug into the rough ground, barely missing her opponent with thanks to the irregularities she had been throwing into the rhythm. But the relief departed with the sigh. Anxiety was dramatically increasing within those frightened green eyes. During the critical moments in her strike she was able to struggle for a split second and throw it slightly off, purposely causing error and buying Ami more time to react. However, Makoto was tiring and her possessor was adjusting at an abnormal rate; he pushed her body to become faster and closer to their target with each strike.

"It's coming horizontal!" Makoto shouted out as the blade swept across. Ami ducked, though a few strands of her hair weren't so lucky.

**Blam!**

The taller woman somersaulted up and backward, re-directing the spiritual bullet while mid-flight. However as soon as she landed her body lurched forward, as if she nearly stumbled, and charged to hopefully catch her tiring opponent off guard.

**Blam! Blam! Blam! Blam!**

Ami held her weapon up defensively, and her eyes became distant. For a second she saw Mercury instead of Makoto. The man raised his gun and aimed it at her, his fingers already slowly pulling the trigger. The instant she blinked, she saw Makoto charging towards her with the same killer intent. As the blade came down, the sound of a gunshot rang in her ears and her body swayed reflexively to the right.

"!"

**SLASH---thud.**

_What was that?_ She evaded as Makoto pushed her back. More gunshots rang within her ears each time the blade came down, and each and every time her body moved identically to the way the person in her other sight did. There was only one particular gunshot she saw her other self counter with a sweep of a spear.

At that direct moment they countered, Ami felt her gun go off. It was as if things were starting to click together.

_My gun went off exactly when they swing the spear? And… every time Makoto swings her weapon I hear a gunshot! Both of our movements--! It's as if they are pre-determined--!_

Ami focused harder on the momentarily flashes, finding herself able to predict the series of outcomes for each encounter. Her movements, Makoto's, whatever she saw came true between them both.

_It's as if we are merely acting something out._

Ami gasped. _What day is it?_ She thought back, remembering who her father desired to fight and who he was fighting instead…

_Is it… just like that time?_ Ami recalled her last experience on Jupiter.

**TUP!**

Makoto pulled back and her power was beginning to seep out. To both combatants surprise a ball of lightning began to form within the palm of her hand.

"Please stop! You aren't fighting who you think you are!" Ami pleaded. The elder Mercury continued to concentrate his power, but Makoto looked up at the sound of her voice.

"Huh?"

"Makoto! It's Mercury! It's my father! He's possessed your body, just like yours has done to mine!"

"W-What?! What are you saying? We're being possessed?" Makoto flinched back as she felt her power drawing near full strength.

_Then I'm not seeing things after all? My father is possessing Ami? And hers is possessing me? But, how can that be? Why would they do such a thing?!_

By now Ami had already begun charging up for a counter strike as well. She noticed the tears of frustration welling up in Makoto's eyes, and shouted,

"They are fighting each other! It's the day they both disappeared!" The rest of her words were swallowed up in the howling wind.

_On that day many years ago, Jupiter and Mercury disappeared. Only my father returned alive. The Planetary Council believed at first that The God of War was a factor in Jupiter's untimely demise… However, in truth…_

"_It's my fault… It's all... my fault!"_

_If this was how they fought… If we are acting their last fight out…._

"Ami, I can't hold it back any longer! HaaaaAAAAAAH!"

_One of us… will die._

"Sparking…Wide Pressure!"_** "Shine… Aqua Illusion!"**_

"Shine… Aqua Illusion!"_** "Sparking… Wide Pressure!"**_

**FWooooooooOOOOOOOOOOSSSSH---KABLAAAAAAM!**

Dust clouds rose up into the air, intermingling with the heat from the flames. Ami found herself flat on her back, coughing and listening to the roar of their fiery captor. Footsteps were approaching. She barely flinched when a scratched up hand reached down and held her by the throat.

Blue eyes met green.

_My time is up._

Makoto stared down in disbelief. Her body had straddled the shorter woman and her hand was threateningly around her throat.

"N-No…" Tears burned her eyes. Her entire body shook. "No. No. No! No! NOOOOOO! This can't be happening! Ami—Ami you have to move! You have to…"

Her words trailed off upon seeing the understanding smile directed up at her. Ami shook her head.

"It has, to be this way… Only one of us… can go on…"

"Then I'll die!" No sooner had the words left her mouth Makoto's fighting arm begin to twitch. "NO! Don't you dare---! ARRRRRGH…"

Ami calmly regarded the blade painstakingly inch its way upwards.

_You were always there…Always smiling at me…_

"Remember… how I was… never very good at fighting? I used to hate myself because of it…"

"_Don't you get it yet? Stop clinging onto others so much! What happened to your so called desire to become a strong ruler? Just look at you. You can barely stand on your own two legs!" She gestured. "No confidence, no courage at all! I never imagined you to be this weak-willed. It's no wonder why others can't rely on you!"_

_He was right..._

_I am weak._

_I was a coward._

_I cling to people._

_.I was always wishing that I was a better person. It was all I could do to keep me from losing myself._

"…A-Ami…"

"You told me it didn't have to be that way... that we would work on it together." She took a shaky breath. "Together… Because of you, I found out that my way of fighting was different from everyone else's. Strategizing and figuring out what to do… I felt like I finally belonged. But it looks like this is the last thing I'll ever do."

Makoto gripped harder onto the spear, putting all her might into it; still, the blade rose up and drew back towards a stabbing pose.

"Makoto, it's all right." Reluctantly the taller woman drew her attention away from her task and met Ami's eyes. "Being with you has made me so happy. When I didn't believe in myself, when I was sad… you always tried to cheer me up. I always felt safe when you held my hand. So no matter what happens, even if I need to give up my life, so that yours can go on… then… then I'll be happy."

_You have to go on. You can't forget about the others…_

Makoto choked back a sob, desperately trying to prevent the tears streaming down her face from blurring her vision.

**Ka-chik.**

The blade's metal reflected the image of the dancing flames. Ami held her breath. Though she told herself that she wouldn't be afraid, she was.

_I just wish… that I could have held your hand one last time._ The pressure around her throat tightened.

"Ami…wait for me, okay?"

…_Makoto…_

**SHRIIIK---KAPOOOSH!!!!**

**S-h-A-T-t-E-R!! Tinkle…tinkle…**

The entire scenery exploded, returning to the dark void it had originated from.

"_Hey Ami…? I know this is going to sound really weird, but...where do you think Gods go after they die?"_

"_I don't know. I suppose where the other deceased have gone… Why do you ask?"_

"_I was just thinking… even if Gods can living forever, is it worth it? Is living forever worth not going to a place like Heaven?"_

**Woosh---ting! Ting! TiiIiiiiIIIIiiinnnnng…**

A silver coin rolled up to and came to a halt at a woman's foot. Makoto clutched the limp body of her friend tightly, lying over Ami's chest as she lost herself in the tears of loss. Her chest hurt. Her heart ached for the one person she swore she would protect.

Sobs tore themselves from her throat until it was raw; she cried out harder, continually crying out even after her voice had become hoarse from trying too many times to put into words how she felt. And suddenly, she slumped. She didn't care anymore. Despite Ami's words, and the merciless nagging reminder of her duty, she couldn't gather the energy to move on. Her body went limp, her voice silenced for now, but the tears had yet to stop.

_I might as well have died…_

"I'm so sorry Ami…" She whispered. "If only I had been stronger. If only I could be as strong as you…"

Makoto closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply. She expected her senses to be bombarded by the stench of blood, the proof of her sin…

…_What? I don't smell anything._ She wondered if she had become so used to the smell and could not distinct it any longer.

**Lubb Dubb.**

Her own heart skipped a beat. It couldn't be…

**Lubb Dubb...Lubb Dubb...Lubb Dubb...**

While there was a heartbeat pounding strongly in her ears, a soft pressure from above gently touched her head. Slowly, Makoto lifted up her head and saw open blue eyes. The wound was gone and the battlefield had disappeared with it. She wondered whether her voice would work for her now…

"…Ami…?"

Ami nodded, tears forming in her eyes too. She embraced her back whole-heartedly as Makoto flung her arms around her, holding her tight.

"Ami! I--I thought I'd lost you! But you—You idiot! Thank Goddess!!" Her sobs were no longer those of pain, but of joy.

Up above in the black space two spheres of light, one of green and one of blue watched over them. Without warning they came together and exploded into a shower of shimmering lights, falling over the women and lighting the way. A short distance away, a portal opened.

_When I think about living forever… I think, why am I still living, even today? Without her…I'm nothing. I would die too…_

_That's why...even for Heaven, the price is too much to pay._

**

* * *

**

**Next up in HFD, Ch. 38: Against the Sun: Ascension**

**Rei unluckily finds herself marooned in an empty void with Michiru. But what should have been an easy-going truce quickly turned into a cold-hearted betrayal. **

**Rei gasped as Ami's gun was blasted into bits. Michiru let the remains fall to the ground, appearing to be quite satisfied by the other woman's expression**.

_**...No. "Do you even realize what you've done?!" **_

"_**I do."**_ **She was met again by a surprised look.** _**"However, I believe the occasion called for it. You deserve to be destroyed."**_

**Between fighting a child-hood friend and her new puppet, will the Martian heir even stand a chance?**

**Her adversary, a blazing spirit, emerged from the wall of blue flame with Hell's escorts. Bit by bit, the flames dismissed themselves to reveal their mighty Lord-- the right side of the fiery shield extinguished-- a long, trailing glint of metal reflected in dark amethyst eyes. Then the mid-section, where the proud symbol of Mars lay engraved within the red armor; the nauseous churning in Rei's stomach was elevated by the sadistic smile of the black-haired warrior who challenged her now.**

_**I-It's you…**_

_**FWOOOOSH!**_

"_**Ares!"**_


	38. Against the Sun: Ascension

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Sailor Moon**

**A/N: So, this chapter is for my good friend, Bri. Hope everyone else will enjoy it as well.**

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* * *

**

(Rei)

"Huff…Huff…Huf—ahh..ah…"

_My entire body hurts._

In the face of fatigue the proud woman forced her eyes open and squinted up at the darkness through hazy eyes. She hated it. She truly, undeniably, loathed it. In the beginning there had only been darkness. It had been everywhere she looked; as she ventured through life as a child she watched in disgust as that same darkness festered within the souls of men. And now, as she lay here as a ragged mess, was she to be forever trapped by the same darkness?

Rei exhaled a deep breath and her body was cold, but in the distance she could hear the crackling of fire.

_What happened to me? I remember that I was chasing after Hotaru, but then... she suddenly disappeared from sight. Everything went black. The next thing I knew, there were these big, glowing eyes staring down at me. A monster! It was that thing that I saw in my dreams... And that flame, I never felt anything so powerful! I-I couldn't move! _

…_Was I shaking?_

_I was trembling, wasn't I? Why am I trembling now?_

_Am I afraid?_

"_REI!!!!!"_

"Rei." Her eyes snapped open. "Rei. Get up! This is no time to be lying around," someone impatiently snapped.

The Martian weakly craned her head to get a better look at the irritated voice. Fierce aquamarine eyes met hers, and were threatening to burn a hole through her own if she didn't promptly comply.

_Great. I died and went to Hell and she's still here._

"If you can move, then I would suggest standing up. I can sense that our foe is nearby."

"You don't have to tell me that!" Rei snapped as she moved to stand. Her legs were somewhat shaky, and she immediately noted a dull throbbing against her temples. It made concentrating that much more difficult in her somewhat weakened condition.

"Require any assistance?" Neptune's ruler arched an eyebrow. Her offer was shot back with a glare of contempt.

_Come on, Rei. Don't lose your temper. She isn't worth the energy! _Rei pulled an arm across her chest and stretched the stiff muscles. She then proceeded to loosen up the rest of her equally stiff limbs in a similar manner, all under the irritating watchful eye of her companion.

_**Twitch**_

"Do you have to stare?" She threw over her shoulder.

Rei knew that Michiru was normally a patient person, but if her tight lip and the glint in her eyes were any indication then the Goddess was losing that virtue very quickly.

"In case you haven't noticed, Rei, we are the only two people here."

"You were waiting for me? What a surprise," Rei turned on her heel and faced the woman. "I was under the impression that you would ditch me if you ever had the chance! After all, you think that you're so superior and mighty to everyone else just because you're a Goddess! Why would you waste your time on someone who is only human?"

Michiru clenched and unclenched her fists, struggling to fight down the swell of aura threatening to break her control. She couldn't believe how insolent this… this child was!

"We don't have, time for this!" She stressed urgently. "Yes, I admit that I would have preferred to be with anyone else other than you. But unlike you, I, for one, am willing to put my personal feelings aside for what's important."

Rei was momentarily taken aback. All of the pent up anger that she had revelled in seconds before suddenly seemed so shallow. She opened her mouth—she wanted to say something back, anything, to lash out and repay this sickening feeling that the other woman had inspired within her. But no, at the last minute she bit the bullet and suppressed it.

_As much as I hate to admit it, she's right. Our first priority is to survive. If we can somehow get out of here and reunite with the others then we may stand a chance against Apollo._

"You said that we were the only ones here. Are you're sure about that?" Rei asked again.

Michiru closed her eyes and drew in a long, deep breath. "Yes."

"But… they aren't dead, right? No, they can't be. We'll just have to believe that they're all right! For now, we should concentrate on finding a way out of here!" The Martian swung her gaze around the void, but was met with a dead end no matter where she looked.

_Geh._

_It all looks the same! What's going on...? Why are my senses going crazy? My head is buzzing! How in the name of Mars are we supposed to find a way out of here?_

"This place…" Michiru narrowed her eyes, "...is nothing, yet is everything at once. Although it appears to be empty, I can feel our enemy's presence throughout every inch of this space. Most likely, we are being watched as we speak."

"Then what should we do? Other than blindly walking into an enemy trap, do you have any bright ideas?" She was irked by the woman's smile. Behind all of those sparkles, there was a smug look and Rei knew it. "What with that look? If you have an idea then just spit it out already!"

"I do have one proposal…" She began.

"And?"

"It is likely to fail."

"What do you mean?" Rei crossed her arms in impatience. She disliked these guessing games.

"To put it in simple terms, it is because I am with you."

"What?! Are you trying to pick a fight?"

"No. Not at all," Michiru patiently reassured her. "All I am stating is the facts. Judging from our predicament, it appears that we have been thrown into a separate dimension. I imagine that it was likely created by Apollo."

"So?"

"It means that he has a connection with this place," she elaborated. "With a spirit as powerful as his, he would have undoubtedly left behind some kind of spiritual trail. If we could somehow exploit one of these trails and track his presence, then we may be able to escape from this place to where he is truly hiding."

"So, you mean like teleportation in a sense. You want to turn his trap against him."

"That is correct."

"It's not bad...but there's one problem with it."

"And that would be?"

"If your plan succeeds, then it'll take us straight to him! Do you really think it's a good idea to try and face him with just the two of us? What about the others?"

"There is no need to worry. They will be there." There was a strange light in the Goddess's eyes as she said this.

"You sound pretty confident about that. How do you even know that they're still alive?"

"...I can feel it. Haruka is still alive, I can assure you that much. Can you not feel it?" Behind her, she saw the Martian turn her head. "As for the others, they are all accomplished individuals. I have faith in their abilities. They will find a way."

"And me...?" She dared to ask.

"Well, that I can't do anything about."

_Why you...!_

Rei sighed. "Never mind, I won't even bother. Anyway, back to this plan of yours...Let's say that we find Apollo's spiritual trail. What happens after that?"

"Nothing."

"I'm afraid I don't quite follow. I thought you said we were supposed to teleport."

"Hypothetically, yes. Speaking practically, then no, it will be impossible."

"Then why did you--"

"What I am trying to say is...even if I am somehow able to locate a trail, it will be impossible to create the portal to follow it. We do not have the sufficient energy between us."

_So, it won't work because we don't have enough energy? _

"When you say that it's because of me that the plan would fail, is it because…"

"Yes. If it were any of the others, I am confident that it would succeed."

Rei ignored the stabbing pain she felt in her heart. She was determined not to let this get her down.

"Why don't we give it a try anyway?"

"What? You can't be serious! Do you understand what you're proposing? If we fail, then we will both deplete a good portion of our power reserves for nothing."

"And standing around doing nothing is that much better? Just one time! That's all I'm asking for."

Michiru sighed and shook her head. She couldn't believe she was going to do something so irrational.

"One time," She emphasized. "Now, give me your hand. Concentrate on channelling your energy into mine. I will handle the rest."

Rei felt the pull on her power as soon as she touched Michiru's hand. The woman's aquamarine eyes dimmed in concentration as she searched out for an appropriate target. Once she had found one that was satisfactory she began to fuse their two energies together; a pink-ish light enveloped them. Rei watched in amazement and winced when a single beam of their combined effort blasted out into the space ahead of them. She had almost expected something to happen, but it whooshed straight on through without colliding with anything.

_I knew it. _"It's not enough." Michiru muttered tiredly. Rei felt her hopes sink; she had only half believed in Michiru's words, but to hear that their attempt failed so miserably deeply bruised her pride.

"W-Well, if we can't use that method…Then we should stay put."

"Stay put? And 'do nothing'?"

"Well, from what you told me…wandering around would be too dangerous. Our detection spells are useless in here... and chances are we'll be ambushed if we go searching for an imaginary exit that may not exist. It's better to be prepared and let them come to us."

"...Point taken."

Rei stepped a few meters away from her reluctant partner, and turned her back to her.

"I'll watch this direction. You take my back." When the Goddess did not move, she reluctantly added, "…Please."

Michiru arched a delicate eyebrow, and complied with her comrade's request. Soon the two fighters were facing back to back.

"That was usually courteous of you, but it was not necessary." Michiru remarked. "This is, after all, the only plan left at our disposal. However…I must admit that it does pique my curiosity. I was under the impression that you didn't trust me." She mused.

"You talk too much." Rei growled. "As you said, we're the only two people here. Does it look like I have much of a choice?"

_Don't misunderstand me. I might not like you, but I trust your abilities._

"I see."

(Michiru, a bit later)

With narrowed eyes the ruler of Neptune stared ahead into the monotonous darkness for signs of movement. They had been waiting for hours now, yet their perseverant resolve was rewarded by the increasing hostility of their environment; the atmosphere had grown to be so hot and dry that she thought they might as well be standing in the middle of one of Jupiter's great deserts.

_The enemy is no fool. _Michiru wiped away the beads of sweat forming upon her brow and rapidly blinked to help ease the itchiness of her eyes._ If we won't move, then neither will they. They won't have to. With the ability to warp the dimension to their specifications we are left with two alternatives: To stay and continually be weakened, or leave and risk ambush. In the latter they would go after the weaker of us. That would be…Rei. Though I doubt she is better off in our current predicament._

If a Goddess such as herself was suffering the dizzying effects to this degree then she could only imagine how the Martian was cooping. Curiosity soon got the better of her and Michiru peeked over her shoulder at her unexpected partner. Contrary to what she had thought, Rei was still standing tall with her head held high.

_She's still standing? _The woman was trying to hide her weakness, but Michiru saw right through it; Rei was trembling slightly due to a combination of exhaustion and mild dehydration. She was clearly struggling to keep her pride intact.

Michiru felt a stab of guilt to say the least. The person that she saw was not the childhood acquaintance she had befriended many years ago or the person she felt obligated to protect, but the murderer who took away the only family that she knew. Ares, the God of War; although they were not the same individual, the child behind her was his heir. She was his chosen successor. Deep down inside, watching her suffer in his place gave the Goddess a sickening sense of satisfaction; to watch her tremble as the beads of sweat matted her black tresses, to see that clear liquid of life leave her mortal body agonizingly slowly and fall to the ground in waste. It ignited a chilling flame within the depths of her soul. Michiru's breathing hitched.

_No. No! Don't think about that! _She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to quell her rampant emotions. _I am Neptune Michiru, the ruler of Neptune. Above all else, I shall remain loyal to my people and fulfill this mission to the best of my capabilities. I must stand firm! I mustn't allow my personal feelings to distract me, no matter how difficult it may be!_

But when she glanced at Rei again, a lump had formed in her throat. Echoing screams and the fatal glint of a sword, splattered with blood, played itself before her mind's eye. She dropped her gaze in shame and instantly regretted it; from out of nowhere, there was bloody river flowing against her feet. Michiru's hand flew to her mouth to stifle a shocked cry.

"Ah--?!"

_Blood? _Her heart pounded madly within her chest._ But where did that come from?!_ The direction in which it was flowing from made her pulse race faster.

"Rei…?" Her voice fell to a whisper.

The armed figure behind her stood motionless, exhibiting no indication that she had heard the woman.

_The blood…Why is it flowing out from under her feet?!_

_**Lubb Dubb!**_

_No, that isn't Rei. _She blinked and a tall, muscular figure with short dark hair stood in her place. He was wearing the Martian armor.

"Who are you?!" Michiru demanded. "And where is my companion? What did you do with her? Speak now or I will strike you down!"

_I didn't sense him at all! Rei. Where's Rei?!_

_**Lubb Dubb!**_

_**Lubb Dubb!**_

_**Lubb Dubb!**_

…_**shssss…**_

The armor creaked as the figure began to turn their head. Michiru froze when orange glowing eyes met her shocked ones.

_No! It can't be--_

_**FwoooOoOoOsh!**_

"Auhh?!"

A blast of hot air blasted throughout the area, signalling the awakened presence. Michiru recoiled back and instinctively initiated an aura shield to ward off the effects.

"Michiru?! Michiru, what's wrong?! MICHIRU!" Rei's cries were drowned out over the roar of the wind.

Michiru could feel it now. His piercing gaze slipped through her mental barriers. It was plunging deep down inside her mind, into that infinite, dark well until he found what he sought. He found her. The Goddess was overcome by a nauseating sensation that threatened to buckle her knees as the voice of a child emerged. The child was screaming, demanding revenge with a vicious passion.

_Suffer!_

_Suffer! Suffer! SUFFER!_

**"**_**Does it hurt…?"**_

_What?_

All went white and silence ensued. Somewhere in the distance her consciousness began to awake once again.

...

_...I remember._

…_I remember hearing their screams of panic..._

_Incoherent shouts and yells that intermingled with the disbelieving sobs. Their voices sounded jumbled to me, yet I knew why they cried. Why my people grieved. It was for the same reason that I suddenly found a gaping hole in my heart. That day, when my mother passed away…_

(Palace courtyard)

Overlooking the courtyard there was a lone terrace, partially hidden from view in the palace's shadow. A girl stood there; her shoulder length aquamarine hair waved fluently in the breeze, each silky curve cradling the mischievous entity before gently shooing it off to play. Her dress was seemingly perfect if not for the dried crimson stains that marred its back and her barefooted legs. It felt heavy—unlike the soft petals of the rose bouquet lying at the terrace entrance. A sympathy gift that had arrived early that morning, yet what was it to her? To lie there broken, its beauty fated to wither away until it crumbled into an unrecognizable mound of ash. She would have gladly lain there too, broken. Yet unlike the flowers, her beauty shall not fade. She would not die. For she was a Goddess…

Silently… Enviously…She unblinkingly gazed down into the courtyard below. She eyed her sobbing peers as they pressed against their guardians in both exhaustion and shock.

…_I remember the day that they all left…_

_Yesterday, they arrived as children. We were all children back then, blissfully living in ignorance, and shielded from the future duties that we were destined to perform one day. Yet today, this day… while they left as children, I was left behind. Even she, Haruka, had unknowingly left me as well._

_The people cannot embrace security without a ruler. And without my mother, who else was there to fill that void, but I? The sole heir to Neptune's throne? _

_Only a child… I shall no longer be one with tomorrow's rising sun._

Something then piqued her interest. Mar's heir; she stood a far distance away from the group as though she were abandoned, cut off from the rest of the world. Yet the girl regarded it all with indifference. She did not cry.

Feeling someone's gaze, Rei turned her head to confront the intruder of her space.

_Her eyes…_

**"…**_**No… Don't think about that…"**_

Michiru allowed her gaze to linger a second longer, then retreated into the sanctuary of her chamber.

(Bedroom)

…_I remember the days that I spent within my room…_

_I rarely ate._

_I could not sleep. Yes, it was that precious sleep that I pined for most dearly._

"Sleep, oh dear sweet slumber…How I've longed to be cradled in the soothing embrace of thy carefree rest. For one precious chance, my only hope is to preserve this sliver of myself before I lose all that I am. But if I am destined to slip, then allow me to drown within thee like the ocean waters of my home…"

_While the maids and the palace staff periodically checked on me I pretended to be unaffected by Mother's passing._

_Sit up straight, keep your head high… Look the person directly in the eye as you speak to them._

_Shush, only soft tones befitting for a lady. Allow a touch of a smile to grace one's lips._

"Please."

"Thank you."

"I understand."

… _'I understand'… I understood myself all too well…_

_With the creaking of the door, the signal of their dismissal, the world crumbled once again._

_**Knock-knock.**_

_**Knock. Knock. Knock.**_

"My Lady?" A woman's voice inquired from the other side of the door.

Michiru inwardly sighed; the courtyard she had been staring so intently at these past few days was empty. A part of her acknowledged this, yet another did not. Phantom images of crying children reflected coldly on the surface of her deep, aquamarine eyes.

"My Lady--"

"Yes, I am here. You may enter." The Goddess turned as the door opened and saw a young woman, perhaps in her late teens, standing in the doorway. She paused at this; there was something about the individual that she could not quite put her finger on. The girl was indeed tidy—she kept her long, chestnut hair tied back into an enviable long braid that ran all the way down her back. She was also tall and slim, and appeared to be a few years older than herself, but the girl's dark-brown eyes regarded her, the ruler to be, this 'child', with a hint of fear.

Michiru, despite herself, felt a stab of guilt. Her eyes slightly lit up in recognition as she recognized the maid's uniform. Perhaps this young girl was simply an unfamiliar face? Perhaps she had run into her in the past and had not taken particular notice of her features. The palace staff was comprised of a large body of individuals after all. Considering her duties, it wasn't as though she had the time to spare to memorize every servant's identity.

"I had specifically said that I shall not see anyone else today unless it was a matter of urgent importance." Michiru said as she regarded her coolly. All around them the room temperature began to drop, and the servant visibly shuddered. "Speak now. For what reason have you disturbed me?"

The girl stuttered, momentarily at a loss of what to say.

"I--I was worried for your Majesty's health."

"Pardon me?" Michiru's eyes flashed, her voice never betraying her quickly rising anger. "Is that why you have defied my wishes? Come now, it is no secret that a God or Goddess cannot become ill. It is a physical impossibility."

"But that has nothing to do with your heart!"

There was a heavy silence. A million different responses flashed through the Goddess's mind: Outrage, indignation, calm forgiveness… but in the end, she drew a blank. She was at a loss for words.

"My Lady, please, you haven't left your room for days! You think we don't know? That we don't worry? You haven't been eating lately... Your food almost always comes back untouched!"

_Goddess's don't need to eat._

"You haven't been resting either, have you? Every time someone comes in, you're always staring out from that terrace!"

_Goddess's don't need to sleep._

"Haven't you already realized it yet? They're already gone! Everyone left a long time ago!"

…_I should be getting angry. But why do I feel…_

…_only pain…?_

"What good does it do to keep yourself locked away?!"

"It doesn't."_ It doesn't do me any good._

"H-Huh?" The maid was startled that she hadn't felt her Lady's wraith. The young Goddess, instead, seemed to be preoccupied in thought.

"Perhaps I will take a walk. But where to…?" She hated to wander around without a destination in mind.

"If I may make a suggestion, how about the palace garden...?" Her servant suggested. "The gardener worked so hard on them this year… and the flowers are in full bloom as we speak. It would be a shame to not see them once more before the rains come. Please, perhaps it would cheer your Majesty up?"

"…Yes. Perhaps it will…" Michiru smiled. She hoped it would.

The girl stepped towards the door, watching the slightly taller woman scuttle out of her way, and then paused to meet her eyes.

"What is your name?"

"…Chisaki, My Lady."

"I see. Would you care to join me?"

(Palace Gardens)

"It's beautiful, isn't it My Lady? Though the flowers aren't as varied as they are in the Lunar gardens, they still take my breath away. Don't you agree?"

"I suppose so."

Michiru stepped up to the corridor railing and placed her hands onto the cool marble surface. They were nearly there-- the gardens were just a few scant meters below. Despite her attachment to the sorrow that plagued her endlessly these past few weeks, she could not help but feel her spirits rise a little at the sight; already she was drowning in the flowers' scent, her senses revelling in their life. She was staring out at a sea of pure white flowers underneath a brilliant clear, blue sky.

(Rei)

"Michiru, what's wrong?!" Rei hoarsely screamed at her. The frustration mounting on the Martian's pale face began to betray the fear in her dark, amethyst eyes.

_I don't understand it! All of a sudden she just created an aura shield! W-What's going on damn it?! Michiru isn't the type of person to spook easily! Something wrong… But as long as her barrier is up, there's nothing I can do to help her...! I have to somehow convince her to let it down!_

"Michiru! Drop the barrier! There's no reason to--" Rei felt herself stop mid-sentence as a wave of aquamarine aura rippled across the void. In an instant the barrier fell. "Michiru…"

Had she finally come to her senses? The Goddess's outline soon became clear as the light fell away. Yet something was amiss; why hadn't she suppressed her powers? The spiritual energy surrounding her was crackling with dangerous intensity.

"Hey, what was that just now?" Rei demanded. "Why did you suddenly do something like that? Do you want to give our position away?!"

"..."

"Answer me!"

Michiru silently raised her hand up in Rei's direction and startled the woman. Without a word of warning, she fired a bolt of energy and speared the Martian squarely in the chest. Rei opened her mouth in a wordless gasp as she felt her body fly back.

_**CRACKLE!**_

"Gaa_AAHHHHH!!"_

**Thud!**_** Roll…**_

Pain. That familiar sensation greeted her once again. Rei bit her bottom lip and tasted a faint metallic taste there. Blood. In less than a second, over half of her wounds had re-opened. The smell was beginning to drive her instincts insane, but she didn't dare to stop and administer her medicine. She was being attacked. She needed to defend herself.

Cursing herself for her carelessness, Rei managed to drag herself into a kneeled position. Her bloodied, right hand went for her sword but ended up hitting her side.

Rei gasped. _My sword! _Her eyes darted down to her side and then to the distant right where her weapon had fallen. The sound of crackling energy demanded her attention once again. She turned her head in time to see her 'partner' readying to discharge another gift in her direction. Rei narrowed her eyes. Her heart was racing wildly in her chest as those long, slender fingers twitched with malicious intent. It would be any second now-- she intently anticipated the deciding movement.

"Why?" Rei felt her throat constrict._ Her eyes aren't clouded, so it's not mind control? _"Why won't you say anything?"

_Was everything you said back there just a lie? But if that was true, then why didn't you attack me as soon as I turned my back to you? Why aren't you using your true power?! _Rei gritted her teeth as the light filled the void._ So help me… I will get an answer from you yet! Even if I have to beat it out of you myself!_

_**CRACKLE--**_

"HAH!!" Her hand shot out and released a bolt of crimson lightning.

_**CRACKLE--**_

_**-------KABLAM!!**_

(Michiru)

A fresh, cool breeze broke across the gardens and showered the two women with a flurry of white petals. Silently, Michiru gracefully took a delicate blossom into her waiting, pale hand. As if a touch of a Goddess could make one blush, the petal bashfully deepened with a reddish-pink color.

_Smooth… _

…_soft, and… delicate…_

A strange light flickered in her aquamarine eyes as she glimpsed the slivers of crimson refracting from its flawless, smooth surface.

_If I should wish it… _Her long, slender fingers slightly curled about it.

_Unlike with humans or ascended beings such as myself… if this fragile existence should come to an end by my hand, then it will simply be that. It will disappear without inquisition. Yet why would one care if a speck in the universe were no longer there? _The wind began to blow softly once again._ This gentle blossom… what purpose does it possess other than to grow to the specifications of its gardener? To remain rooted in the ground and merely exist to display its beauty to love-struck admirers? Now that it is free, it has lost that one, true purpose…_

A shadow fell over the petal as an aquamarine light enveloped it.

_Tell me… What do you have left now?_

She waited, and intently listened to the wind. Amongst all of its whispers she searched to distinguish a voice, a plea… one, in her expectation, to be the quietest of them all. Yet as time flowed forward, she heard none. Would it not beg for its life?

The barest of smiles made its way to her lips.

"Hm."

As she turned her attention back to her company, her maid glimpsed the petal behind the Goddess. It danced; swirling and twirling with all it could muster until it finally disappeared into the magnificent background of blue sky.

"It's strange…" Michiru mused. "To think that time would last forever and then, in a blink of an eye, you realize how fragile things truly are."

"Are you referring to… the passing of Her Majesty, your mother?" The Goddess was silent. "That flower petal back there… You let it go. For a moment there it looked like—O-Oh! Please forgive me My Lady! I--I didn't mean to insinuate…"

"No, please… go on. I would like to hear what you were about to say."

The taller woman hesitated for a second, and then gulped at the insistence she heard in her Lady's tone.

Under the Goddess's watchful eye, she carefully continued, "I--I mean, I suppose what I meant to say is… why did you stop? You seemed to be in deep thought for the longest time… And then, when it looked as though you had made up your mind, you suddenly just changed! Did something else cross your mind?"

"Does it matter 'why' I chose to do what I did? Is it not true that my word is law?"

"W-What?" The servant gaped and was quickly turning red in the face. "Ah--yes! Of course it is! Please forgive me for my rudeness!"

Michiru narrowed her eyes as she continued to watch the girl's embarrassed expression with a stern face.

"…You just apologized." Her words made the other girl freeze. "Why… would you apologize for something that I had asked you to do? Was my request, to ask you to voice your opinion, wrong?"

The maid's eyes widened in horror. "NO! That's not what I meant!" She panicked. "What I meant--! What I meant was…"

"…That blossom… it had no voice."

"I-I-I… I mean… whaaaaat?"

"You asked me why I spared it. It cannot beg for mercy like those who do possess a voice."

"But, it's just one blossom, isn't it? There were many others. It was going to wither up and die soon anyway."

"If that is to be its fate, then why not allow it to be so? Why end its journey sooner than necessary?"

"…Your Highness is merciful…" A shadow fell over the woman's face. "However, those who are merciful may someday regret that kindness. Their enemies may take advantage of that weakness... extort it. In the end, it may very well be the very thing that destroys them. Her former Highness--"

"My Mother's passing was indeed sudden." Michiru cut her off. She approached the railing—tapping it gently, twice-- before once again turning her back to the woman. "It happened so suddenly, that even now I can scarcely believe it. Or why it happened."

The wind began to shift.

"Why it happened?" She heard the maid question from behind her. "My Lady, whatever are you talking about? Everybody knows that it was Ares, the ruler of Mars who had committed the deed."

"Is that so?" Michiru held her hands front of her chest and a ball of light erupted between them. Her guest squeaked in alarm and instinctively threw her arms up to cover her face. But past her arms, she could make out the materialization of a shimmering mirror between the Goddess's hands.

_You of all people should know the true reason…_

"Submarine… REFLECTION!"

_**FwoooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOSH!!**_

Light shot out of the mirror and washed over the entire area. For an instant, she saw the scenery's true reflection. The flowers wilted and crumbled to ash, melding in with the barren ground. The sky above darkened to a starless night, and her childish body reverted back to its true form. But more importantly, the maid was had stood before her was finally forced to revealed 'himself'.

"Apollo." Michiru barely managed out the dirty name without letting her fury slip from her control. Her eyes were dangerously narrowed.

The silver haired man laughed in amusement as he eyed his own white-suit attire. "Even the hair and the eyes… that mirror is truly something," he mused.

"You are a very arrogant man to try and trap me within an illusion, an illusion involving my past of all things. Did you truly believe that you could modify my memories without my notice? There never was a maid named Chisaki."

Silver eyes glinted in approval. "Very good. Well done indeed! I must admit that I am impressed, Neptune Michiru. It is a pleasure to see that you resemble your mother not only in appearance, but in talent as well."

"My Mother was a great ruler." Michiru asserted, unfazed by his flattery.

"Indeed. The Lady of Neptune was a magnificent Goddess. She possessed a grace and intellect that was like none other within my court. But then she…" His voice dipped.

Michiru tensed as an intense wave of anger swept the area. _Such hatred…! _She secretly breathed a little easier when the sensation subsided.

"But never mind that." Apollo smiled. "Please be at ease. I did not come here to fight you. In fact, I am here… to make a business proposition."

"A business proposition?" She tightened her grip on her mirror when his silver eyes fell upon it.

"That mirror of yours…Yes, I know all about it. The Deep Aqua Mirror is said to possess the ability to reveal the 'truth' regardless of any illusion. A truly useful power... You see, I would like to 'borrow' it. There is a certain something that I would like to confirm. To see if a certain individual is really…deceased, if you know what I mean."

Michiru's heart skipped a beat.

"Oh, but I wouldn't worry. This is a matter concerning an old friend of mine." He gestured with open arms. "With that said, in exchange for your mirror, I am willing to make you an offer that you may be interested in."

"...Such as?"

"The death of the Martian girl."

_**DOOOOOOOOM**_

(Rei)

"HAA----AAH!!" Rei screamed as she unleashed another blast of power and watched it collide with the aquamarine bolt.

_**CRACKLE--**_

_**CRACKLE--**_

_**------KABLAM!!**_

(Michiru)

Apollo sensed an unspoken change within the Goddess, and was delighted by it. Even the calmest of personalities could not completely hide their deepest, darkest desires from him.

"It's no secret that you want her dead. The sheer animosity between the two of you as you forced yourselves to watch one another's back…was acting at its best! You may tell yourself that she is your comrade, and that you would do anything to protect her if it was within your power to do so… But both you and I know better. Deep inside, your true wish is to tear her to shreds with that very same power, isn't that right, Lady Neptune? You want pay her back for all the pain she inflicted to you and your family. If you so desire, I can help you accomplish that."

The temptation that flickered in her eyes encouraged the God to continue._ Just a little more, _he thought to himself._ As it is, I do have a strong hold over her body… But it seems that I had under-estimated her will. She is unconsciously refusing my commands to use her true power against the Martian brat._

"After all, what is one more casualty in war? People go missing unexpectedly all the time. Who would blame you for the disappearance of some human girl...? After all, she is only human… they'll likely conclude that she died because of her own weakness. Really, when you think about it, humans who willingly fight in a Battle of the Gods are foolish. Don't you agree?" He paused. "They think they can do whatever they want. When things are going well, they forsake you...but when things go wrong, suddenly, they have a change of heart. They only cling onto you and drag you down... like right now. You could have left by now if it weren't for her, isn't that right? Not to mention, she is not an ordinary human. She is a Martian, and the heir to the one who murdered your mother."

This time, Michiru did not protest.

"As part of my proposal, if you wish to be charitable, you will have the option of being merciful and giving her a quick, precious warrior's death. That is what those Martians value the most, is it not? War…bloodlust… _murder._ Between you and me, that little friend of yours is no different. There is a secret that she is keeping from all of you, a very dangerous one at that. I see that you doubt me, but I can assure you that it is the truth. She is a blood-thirsty animal that is just waiting for the ample opportunity to strike. So I ask this of you... will you continue to allow such a monstrosity to roam free? For all you know, the wind ruler may be her next victim."

Michiru saw flashing images of her dying mother and the savage hunger in the War God's eyes as he committed the foul deed. Her grip on her mirror tightened.

"...How?" She finally asked.

"Hm? How, you ask? It's rather simple, really. In exchange for some of your powers, I will give you some of mine. Does that sound like a fair exchange to you?"

"How do I know I can trust you?"

The Sun God met her gaze straight on. "Oh, you will…"

…_Because this is too good of an opportunity for you to pass up!_

(Rei)

_**CrAcKLE!**_

"AUUugGHHH!!"

**THUD!**

Rei hit the ground head-first, and was all too aware of splatter of blood beginning to soak into her sweat-drenched bangs. The two intermingling, putrid scents automatically prompted the woman to twitch her sore nose in disgust as she rose from the ground and back onto her feet. Her breaths were already coming in and out with pained rasps; she was lucky that Michiru's initial strike hadn't pierced anything important, but it still had done damage; it had badly startled her. She was torn inside as she continued to battle against Goddess and her own instincts.

_This isn't good! _Rei planted her feet into the ground in an attempt to focus despite the dizzying effects of the fall. It wasn't going as she had planned. Michiru was still going strong, but she was becoming weaker as the fight progressed.

_C'mon! …Geh--!! Get a hold of yourself! She's coming!_

Rei unconsciously gulped as Michiru motioned to raise her hand once again. It didn't take a genius like Ami to know that another direct attack could very well kill her. But as the energy began to materialize in the woman's hand, to Rei's great surprise, the Goddess's hand abruptly fell limp by her side.

_What?_

"Rei…"

"Michiru!" Rei rasped out. But her brief respite quickly gave way to shock once she sighted the dark energy pulsing in Michiru's aquamarine eyes. They were darker, yet strangely clearer than they were a moment ago. She froze.

"Michiru, what do you think you're doing?! Have you lost your senses? We're supposed to be fighting Apollo together, not against each other!"

_If I can talk to her, then just maybe--_

"Don't you see? This is exactly what he wants! Don't go playing into his hands!"

She paused, and stumbled back as the dimension around them began to warp. The black surface that they stood upon became a rigid, rocky surface, while the darkness above transformed into a cloudy sky. A fresh breeze whipped by and sent strands of her dark hair whipping behind her.

_Now what?!_

"Be quiet." Michiru commanded.

_**Shing**_

**BAM!**

"AHHH?!" Rei gagged as an enormous force hit her from all sides and immobilized her to the spot. Through heavy eyelids she watched as her sword fell to the ground like a block of lead, leaving her vulnerable. It hurt; the sickening feeling of helplessness was threatening to drown her senses. She couldn't move; her arms were plastered to her sides, and it was taking every ounce of her strength just to stand.

"What am I doing?" Michiru's mocking tone drifted across the plain. "Nothing...other than to bear witness to your death."

_No! ...Michiru!_ Rei shut her eyes tight in disbelief. "You can't be serious Michiru! You can't be! You—you aren't thinking straight!"

The Goddess smiled. It was an empty smile without any warmth at all, but a touch of pity.

She didn't need to say anything. At once, Rei knew that it wasn't simple mind control. Michiru, the individual standing before her now, was painfully aware of what she was doing.

She wanted her dead.

"Why you…" Rei's body quivered with emotion. The past, this present, and the bleak future that suddenly loomed before her—everything—it all pained her. "All of the sacrifices that were made just for us to get here! Did none of that matter to you?!" _How many more lives are going to be lost while I'm standing here doing nothing? _"Do you really feel nothing for them? What about your own people? Are you really going to abandon them...because they're human...?!"

Rei drew deep within herself and searched for the remnants of her power. At the end of the darkness there were a few threads left. Seizing onto them, she ripped the energy from the field around her and forcefully pulled it into herself.

"Are you really that heartless, Michiru?!"

The smile, long gone from the Goddess's face, was replaced by a frown as the crackling energy surrounding her former comrade continued to expand.

_She's using the barrier's energy to replenish her own. _She calmly realized.

"I would worry about yourself, Rei." Michiru flatly advised. "You're becoming emotional. That's not like you."

"Emotional?! Is that what you think? I…No, WE trusted you!" It was not the answer she had been waiting to hear.

"Is that so?" Michiru walked right up to her captive. They were standing at an arms-length apart now. She began to raise her hand. "I must admit, it's quite amusing to hear that coming from you."

Rei flinched and shut her eyes tight when the woman's hand shot forward, but when she opened her eyes again there was no noticeable pain. The Martian blinked back as she watched the Goddess calmly walking away. Why hadn't she killed her? When she saw what was in Michiru's hands, she suddenly knew why.

"Don't touch that! Give it back!" she demanded.

Michiru turned the gun in her hands with a critical eye. "So...it was true. He wasn't lying after all."

"What? Who?! You aren't talking about Apollo are you?"

"That is none of your concern." She squeezed the gun in her grip and her power danced threateningly around it. Rei instantly went silent. "What does is...you lied to us. You were keeping a secret from all of us, one that endangered our very lives. Myself...Haruka...Minako's...you didn't just have to kill my family, but you were willing to put my friend's lives at risk as well? How low have you fallen...you scum."

The word brought Rei to flinch. It wasn't what she had intended, but she knew that Michiru was right; she had put lives at risk due to her selfishness. However, the words somehow came out of her mouth regardless.

"...I didn't mean..."

"As Haruka would say... 'Stuff it'. I have no intention of listening to any more of your excuses. I have... other things in mind for you."

_**Crackle!**_

Rei gasped as Ami's gun was blasted into bits. Michiru let the remains fall to the ground, appearing to be quite satisfied by the other woman's expression.

_...No. _"Do you even realize what you've done?!"

"I do." She was met again by a surprised look. "However, I believe the occasion called for it. You deserve to be destroyed."

Rei was shaking so hard now. Her power was beginning to slip out of her control. "...So, that's it, is it? You're going to join up with that murderer just to kill me, is that right? What are you going to tell the others? Or...are you just going to pretend that it never happened?"

"I suppose that depends."

"And you really trust him? He's just using you! As soon as I'm dead, what guarantee do you have that he won't kill you too?"

_How well do you know me?_

She was surprised when Michiru smirked at this. The Goddess lifted her hand, this time with the intent to finish the job. Their gazes locked.

_You're such a fool._

"Grr… TRAAITORRRRRR!"

_**C-R-A-C-K-L-E!**_

_**BLAMblamBLAMblamBLAMblamBLAM!!**_

In a single, electric explosion, the area within a twenty meter radius about the Martian was instantly vaporized. Michiru's attack had been knocked far off course.

Michiru remained unfazed as the dust clouds settled. Rei was now free of her constraints, but at a price; the raven-haired warrior appeared to be a little short of breath.

"Out of breath already, are we?"

"S-Shut it." Rei growled. Her amethyst eyes glinted dangerously.

"Hm." Michiru smiled. "How much longer will that bravado last, I wonder?"

Without giving the Martian a chance to speak again, the Goddess of Neptune closed her eyes and began to concentrate deeply. Rei sensed it first, an invisible wave rippling throughout the area that shook the very stability of the space around them. Her stomach lurched as the gravity shifted.

_This feeling!_

"It can't be!" She gaped in disbelief.

_**Crackle!**_

No sooner had the words left her lips a single explosion lit the sky above them. The entire sky took on a reddish, orange hue, igniting with seemingly endless energy. Rei felt a chill run down her spine as she watched the small flames streak across the sky in soundless horror. Memories of her visit on Venus and the fiery sky of that day blurred with the present.

_Ahh…haaa…_

Her breathing hitched as the ground began to roar.

**Rmm!!!…Rmmm….Rmmm…Rmmm!!!!!!!**

_**Sheeeennnn--**_

"Rrg!" Rei leapt back when a blinding light erupted between the two women. At Michiru's feet, a swirling portal of dark energy opened. Both combatants felt the pull towards it instantly; a massive presence was about to emerge.

_No! It--It can't be! _Rei's heart hammered wildly within her chest. She gulped as a pair of slitted, red eyes glowered at her through from the portal entrance. And as if it was able to smell the delicious aroma of fear, a joyous laugh boomed with another release of energy. Snakes of blue fire bellowed with the resounding battle cry, and hungrily lunged forth and encompassed the Martian girl within a rectangular ring. Amidst the choking fumes and merciless heat, Rei quickly found herself isolated from the Goddess of Neptune.

"Are you ready Rei?" She heard Michiru's voice drift through the fire.

A shiver ran down her spine as heavy, armored footsteps punctuated the silence. On instinct Rei fumbled for her sword, grabbing it and hastily raising it into a defensive position as a dense spiritual presence neared. Every fiber in her muscles tensed as she braced herself for the worst. Her adversary, a blazing spirit, emerged from the wall of blue flame with Hell's escorts. Bit by bit, the flames dismissed themselves to reveal their mighty Lord-- the right side of the fiery shield extinguished-- a long, trailing glint of metal reflected in dark amethyst eyes. Then the mid-section, where the proud symbol of Mars lay engraved within the red armor; the nauseous churning in Rei's stomach was elevated by the sadistic smile of the black-haired warrior who challenged her now.

_I-It's you…_

_**FWOOOOSH!**_

"Ares!"

Beyond the fire, Michiru wordlessly watched the reunion between student and mentor with cool indifference.

"_To prove that I am true to my word, I will fulfill my end of the bargain first. Kill the Martian girl in whichever way that pleases you. Then, once you have found it to your satisfaction, I will come for the mirror."_

"That is correct Rei. He is the God of War…" Michiru lifted her hand. There was a brief moment where the determination in her eyes flickered with uneasiness, but it was quickly swallowed by the flick of her hand.

"ARES!" She commanded.

The air about the God of War grew dense, and was becoming increasingly distorted. A light humming filled the air as invisible shackles crackled and evaporated. Ares stretched his head to the side in one rigid movement, as if his entire body was stiff due to lack of use. Rei gulped, and heard the heartbeat filling her ears. The God took a slow step forward and then another. Leaning down into his left shoulder lightly, with one smooth movement the ground exploded. **Crack! **The tip of his blade cleaved the ground, engraving a jagged crescent emblem into it—the unspoken promise that its next target would reap greater rewards.

Dry particles tapped Rei in the face, but still she could not move. The hungry obsession burning in the man's orange eyes hypnotized her.

Ares paused in his step, and drew back into another striking pose. A taunting silence hung in the air when the God unleashed a wild burst of energy into the atmosphere.

_What?! Where did he go?!_

The God watched his opponent stagger back in confusion. Without hesitation he lunged forward, cutting through the wind and lashed out with a horizontal strike.

**Stomp! Stomp! Stomp! **

"HWOOOOOO!"

"…?!" Mid-heart beat, with the roaring wind in her face and his anxious cry hanging in her ears, she felt a chill run down her spine. A thin, horizontal shadow raked across her mid-section.

_**FWOOOssssssh—**_

_No!_

**TING!!**

"Ugh!" Rei clumsily shoved her sword to the side and made a pathetic attempt at a block. But it wasn't enough; she clenched onto her weapon for dear life even as she was toppled over. **WHOMP! **An armored-bound foot sunk into her cheek and drilled her face into the unyielding rock.

**THUD!**

_Damn it!_

The foot tauntingly continued to beat against her head. She could hear his mocking laughter.

_Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!_

**Bam! …Bam!**

_Why?!_

…_Why…?_

_I was positive that I would find him if I hunted after Apollo. Find him… Kill him... Find him. Kill him. It was all I could ever think about ever since he disappeared. I told myself over and over that when I find him I'd kill him without a second thought. So… why am I hesitating now?_

_How in the name of Mars did Michiru ever get this power? _Unknown to her, Michiru was no longer smiling.

Rei let out an involuntary wheeze when Ares abruptly stopped his beatings and dragged her up to his face. He held her about the collar with a powerful fist, ignoring her wheezing for breath, and proceeded to inspect his catch as one would do with goods. Male or female, Rei knew it was irrelevant to the man; he judged his opponents through other means.

"D-Damn you…"

She unconsciously gulped, and trembled as anxiety spiked though her. She knew what he saw. Trash-- a worthless hunk of meat that only served the meaningless purpose of taking up space. Less than how he viewed her before…

_Stop looking at me like that! _Rei gritted her teeth. In the back of her mind, she was fighting the urge to unleash that other side of her.

Ares reached down to try and pry the sword from her clenched fist, but paused when a light pressure on his arm attracted his attention.

_Who do you think you are?! _Rei gripped down harder on his forearm, adding electric punch into it. The God's grin widened as his armor began to melt under her touch._ I don't need your approval!_

_**Crackle…CrACkle…**_

Her amethyst eyes flashed._**CRAckLe! **_"You… HAVE NO RIGHT TO JUDGE ME!" She roared.

_**CRACKLE—BOOM!**_

The War God was forced to release her as the energy blast pummelled into his chest. Given this opportunity, Rei thrust her blade forward and discarded his breastplate with a clamor.

_There! _She pushed again.

_**TING!**_A small curse left her lips as her path was blocked. This time the mild approval flickering in the God's eyes infuriated her.

"…!" She heaved her sword, "HAAAAAAH--!!", and threw him back. The God slid to a stop a distance away.

"Both of you…" She eyed Michiru and then Ares, "…disgust me! I had no idea how alike you two were!" She paused to catch breath. "But you, Michiru! At this moment, you're worse than he is. You won't even fight your own battles! Only a coward would sit back and watch!"

"Do you believe that your opinion matters to me?" The Goddess coolly stared back. "As far as I'm concerned your words are meaningless."

"What?!"

"This noble front that you're trying to portray…That in itself is laughable. There is no such thing as a noble Martian. I have heard enough of your people to know them for what they truly are-- blood-thirsty, instinct driven animals! Still don't believe me...? Why, look at your proud leader over there."

Rei was bewildered. "You really think that you know everything just because you've 'heard' about it? That was the past!"

"Regardless. Enough of this meaningless chatter... You may call me whatever you wish, Rei, but in the end what good is your noble charade if you are dead?

_**Lubb Dubb!**_

"…Wouldn't you agree?"

_Only the strong survive… Hmph. That's not surprising to hear that from you. _"I'll show you who's dead! After I'm done with him, you're next!"

Michiru flicked her wrist, and Ares rushed forward once again. This time Rei was ready for him. As the God leapt up and fell towards her with his sword cocked, she threw her weight into her right shoulder and swung.

"RAAAAAAAAAAH!!"

"HAAAAAAH!!"

_**TZING--ssssSSSSsssssSSSSSss!!**_

_I'll show you!_

Their blades met in a resounding clash of metal, prompting a deadlock while their crimson auras spat at one another furiously!

"And you!" Rei glared as she was met with orange eyes. "Allowing yourself to be controlled by Apollo… for a proclaimed God of War, you're… pretty weak! PATHETIC!" She grunted and shoved him back.

Ares took the force in stride and smoothly stepped back, only to be assaulted by lightning quick strikes.

"Here I come!!"

**Tzing!Tzing!Ting!Ting!**_**Fwoosh!**_**Crash!**_**TIIIING!!**_

"Is this all you have?" Michiru whispered from the sidelines. Behind her cool facade, there was genuine worry. Her hands were effectively tied; it was all up to Rei now. And if she didn't pull a trick up her sleeve soon then they both may succumb to this trial.

_**Jingle**_

The Goddess remained unfazed as a long, slender shadow materialized from behind her.

_**TING! TING! TING—WHOMP!**_

Rei narrowly dodged Ares sword, allowing the heavy blade to impale the ground instead. In the split second his guard was down she thrust an electrically charged hand into his face.

_**Crackle- **_**bam!**

"RaaaAAAAH!!" Ares let out an animalistic roar and gripped at his watering eyes with insurmountable fury. But before Rei could sink her blade through his exposed chest, the man hurriedly retreated out of her range; her blade bit thin air.

"You--!!" She growled. "What's the matter? Turning coward because you got poked in the eyes?"_ Damn! …I almost had him!_

But her frustration couldn't match the God of War's. He shuddered violently as drops of blood were excreted from his bloodshot eyes and dripped down his face and cheeks. There was enough that the ground was soon defiled with his blood.

Rei's heart skipped a beat. _No...T-This feeling! _The blood-lust in her was beginning to awaken despite her best attempts to keep it at bay.

The God wiped the nuisance from his cheek, smudging it as he did so, and stared at the sticky fluid drying on his palm. His eyes lit up with inspiration.

"What?!" Rei startled when Ares impaled his own hand with his sword! She then scowled, "You… bastard!"

The God chuckled with amusement. Ignoring the pain and swelling he wretched the blade from the injured flesh, and allowed the blood to spill. This action even prompted Michiru's questioning.

"Blood magic," Rei breathlessly uttered. _So, you're really going to use it after all!_

The man pressed his wound against his blade and dragged it agonizingly slow across the surface. The smeared trail of crimson blood began to ignite with an eerie golden glow.

"Michiru, did you ever wonder why we Martians valued blood so much? So much that some even lusted for it? Not even once when you've heard the stories, you've never questioned why we were the only humans to act this way?"

Michiru was silent.

"I'm not denying that our soldiers weren't as good as animals. But that was in the past. Before the Great War with Apollo our people were weaker than the average humans. We might have developed the strong mentality that was necessary to survive in the harsh climate of Mars, but without proper nutrition and constant training, there was only so much that could be done."

"So, your leader was too proud to ask Apollo's Court for aid?" She took the woman's silence as an affirmation. "If your people were truly that weak, then why the sudden transformation in the War? The Martians were respected as the greatest of warriors amongst the Planetary Alliance."

"…In preparation for the Battle of the Gods, Ares revived an ancient technique that is said to exponentially increase one's power. He had perfected it himself." Rei felt the beads of sweat on her brow multiply with the increasing temperature. There wasn't much time left.

"It's only requirement was…blood. It draws on its life energy. The more blood there is to draw from, the greater power one could obtain. However the effects are only temporary, and to use it safely the user needed a strong will. Because of the continual fighting during the Great War, many Martians eventually succumbed to its power lust. It's dangerously addictive, almost like a drug! Soldiers infected by it would go to any length to have its power again, even after the War ended. To prevent this in the new era, the secret was restricted to the Martian ruler…while those who had gone insane were executed on the spot. Many people died… That. Was our sacrifice for peace!"

A contemplative look fell over the ruler of Neptune's eyes.

"So don't go about talking like you know everything there is to know about us. Some truths are kept out of history for a reason! Blood magic is… a God's technique. And it's killing me..."

"What...?"

"This secret... I know I don't deserve to be forgiven. I know that I've put your lives at risk! But even if I had told you about it, there's no cure! Except..."

"...You said that it preyed on life energy."

"Because I don't take others, it takes mine."

"But if you had an infinite lifespan..."

Rei fell silent. Michiru calmly regarded the woman for a minute, but she hadn't forgotten her mission in the slightest.

"If it is as powerful as you claim it to be, then what will you do?"

Ares whipped his sword around and took on a striking stance. Rei narrowed her eyes.

"I'll fight." _I have to stop him before it's too late!_ "Take… THIS!" She yelled.

_**CrACKLE! **_

As the crimson lightning charged forward, Ares unexpectedly dove into it and cut it down with his sword. In desperation Rei discharged several more, only to feel her confidence slipping with each deflection.

_**Crackle! **_**Ting!**

_**CrAcKle! **_**TING!**

_**CRACKLE! FWooooooOSH!**_

Her last attack ricocheted back and tore through her left shoulder, severing the clasp that held her chest plate and shoulder armor together.

"Ah…AHHHHHH!!"

Orange eyes gleamed in delight to see the blood spilt by the wound. But he didn't have an infinite amount of time to admire it. The foe that he had only injured rashly ripped off the dangling piece of armor and lunged forward, making wild swings in his general direction. One stab to his right, down at his leg and then directly into his blade, he caught them all with impeccable precision. A thought, a fluttering desire to mock the poor fighting style flickered in his mind but it had slipped away.

At first the God only needed the tip of his blade to block the feeble attempts of an assault, but with passing time his opponent was quickly honing their strikes. His grin widened; there was enjoyment in this.

Ares parried a close call and unleashed an aura barrier. The circular shield expanded rapidly, forcing his unwilling opponent away.

"No!" A hint of panic entered Rei's voice as she summoned her own barrier to counteract the effects. The two shields collided, leaving only a five-meter breathing room radius around the woman.

"Rrrrg-----AHHHH!!!!" _Wait. What's he doing?_

The God of War then sunk his blade into the ground, cracking the rock, and lifted his arms towards the fiery sky. His fluctuating energy skyrocketed towards the Heavens and rounded down into itself, combusting into the form of a flaming sphere. Helplessly, his heir watched it accumulate in size. Growing bigger and bigger, heating the air… Once it became so hot that Rei thought she was going to suffocate, the sphere began to pulse. The sound of twined heartbeats echoed throughout the chamber.

_His most fearsome attack... I've never seen it myself, but… _Rei panted. Fragmented memories of carnage following the previous actions he had performed awoken to her mind.

The God gave a mighty leap and landed atop of the spherical entity.

_I have to stop it. I have to stop him! _Her senses screamed in her mind._ But how?! His power has more than doubled since we last exchanged blows! _She gripped her injured shoulder in frustration._ If I only had Michiru's help! No, even then it wouldn't be enough. And if I attempted that technique, there's still no guarantee…_

…_Is… Is this it? I can't beat him?_

_**Lubb Dubb!**_

_**-- Lubb Dubb!**_

_**Lubb Dubb!**_

_**-- Lubb Dubb!**_

_**Lubb Dubb!**_

_**- Lubb Dubb!**_

The pulsing was gaining momentum.

_No…_

_There's no choice! _"I-- I have to give it a try!"

(Michiru)

"What do you plan to do, Rei…"

_**Jingle**_

There was the swish of a long braid, and then the shadow was gone.

"Hm?"

(Rei)

Ares smirked as his greatest art was nearing completion. It would be any moment now he would finally claim another victory.

"Heh… Don't think you'll be smirking for much longer." Rei mumbled. Despite her trembling, she drew upon the last of her power reserves and fuelled her barrier.

_**Fwoooooooosh!!**_

"Do you really hear nothing Ares?" She cried over the wind. "Are you really ignorant of what you've done, or of the people you've hurt?! Why do you let Apollo control you?! I know you aren't weak enough to be controlled!"

_Although I resented you...There was no stronger fighter that I had looked up to…_

"…" The God of War stared blankly at the woman he had deemed his heir.

"Ares!"

The wind picked up speed and drowned the rest of her words; above the two fighters, the ball of energy was beginning to crack. Rei knew it was a matter of seconds before 'they' would be released.

She raised her sword up in front of her with both hands, and closed her eyes. Everything around her dimmed: The sound of the howling wind, the ache of her body due to her wounds and dehydration, her fear, and the pain of betrayal. She became numb to all of these things. The cold sensation chilling her senses now originated from a greater loss. In this one moment, she could only think,

_I'm sorry Mina… If there was only another way! If I was only a little stronger...No... But, then again, I've always said that. I've always been making up excuses, haven't I? _

'_This should be enough'... 'Maybe I'll wait a little longer and see what happens'... You said that you liked me because I was an honest person. But... to be honest, I'm not. I've been running away this entire time, even up to the point of our departure. _

_But after this, I won't anymore. I'm going to win this fight, even if it means beating him and her! ...Because... there's still something that I have to tell you._

_...I..._

"…love you."

_**Stab--SHPLOOOSH!!**_

"!" Michiru gasped.

With a grunt, Rei twisted the metal blade buried in her midsection. Once, twice, her insides churned with blinding, searing pain. **Rip!** She withdrew the weapon and released her life with it. It drained down her front and back, it soaked her hands, legs and clothes.

Feeling weak, Rei reflexively pressed a shaky hand to the gaping hole in her front.

"This… should be enough! It just—has to be!" _So, what do you say? All or nothing...?_

Summoned by her will, the droplets on her armor lit up with a golden hue. Her blade, the one she had recently re-acquired, was held tightly within her grasp and also began to resonate with similar power. With a single sweep of her swords-arm, the spilt blood along the ground shot out and threaded together in the form of a net.

Simultaneously, Ares also readied his arsenal above. The energy ball in the sky exploded and two fiery wolves materialized. They howled their battle cry, shaking their fiery manes with bold confidence. Rei unblinkingly stared up at the two beings; the animals bared their fangs, the saliva dripping between their jaws was unable to express the uncontrollable desire engraved within their orange eyes. Still, they patiently held for the command from their master-- her former mentor.

Briefly their eyes met.

_**TWEEEEEEEET!**_

"AROOOOOOOOWL!!"

Without hesitation Rei leapt into action. With a silent command she doubled the strength of her barrier, pushing it forward until it met Ares's in equal strength. The winds collided and intermingled into one chaotic whirlwind. The wolves howled in confusion as their movements were significantly slowed.

The smirk on Ares face faded slightly; the golden light emitted from the maze of blood below was gaining in intensity. Perhaps it was because her senses were unusually heightened but Rei could have sworn that she had felt something stir in the God. But what did it matter to her now?

"AROOOOOOOOWL!!"

_This is it! _She drew in a deep breath. _This is the end for you!_

_**Sheeen…**_

_**FwooooooOOOOOOOOSSSSH!!**_

The net of blood below sprung to life, scaling upwards towards the two hounds. Both dogs whipped around wildly, desperately trying to avoid the golden thread. But it was in vain. In a blink of an eye the net overcame them, trapping them within a suffocating grasp. Not even the flames that comprised their being could melt their captive bonds.

_**Shnk.**_

"HaaAAH!"

_**SLASH! SLASH!**_

"AROOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

**Shroom! Shroom!**

Both hounds instantly disintegrated with the sweep of Rei's blade. But she couldn't stop there. Using the momentum of their de-materialization she propelled herself higher and higher up to her true goal.

"ARES!" She drew back her glowing blade. The God of War didn't hesitate to brandish his own before catapulting himself towards her.

_I'm going to kill you!_

_**Lubb Dubb!**_

_I'm going to kill you!_

_**Lubb Dubb!**_

_I will… end this!_

_**LUBB DUBB!**_

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"

**TING.**_** SLAAAA--SH!! KABOOoooOOooOOooOOOOOOOOM!!!**_

The greatest explosion yet ripped through the area with full force. Michiru braced herself against the shearing wind, scarcely believing what she had just witnessed.

_A human versus a God…_

A different light emerged in the sky above. The fiery hue that swirled over the center of the battlefield was drowned in a pool of aquamarine light. The Heavens were no longer devoid of emotion or burning with anger, but were quelled into a breathless calm.

Michiru recognized the presence instantly.

_Mother…_

The Goddess soon felt the rain, and was glad for it. Her breathing hitched uncontrollably as she caught sight of her friend. Rei lay motionless against the crumbled rock, her drenched bangs folded over closed eyes. The blood from her fatal wound had yet to cease.

_Is she…?No... I-I didn't think it would go this far!_

"Rei!" Michiru called to her.

"Girl." A deep voice echoed. Michiru startled when the God of War came into view. The man past her and stopped in front of his heir's limp body, never moving to kneel or to touch her. His dark eyes were no longer in a trance. They shone with recognition and pride.

"You've done well, girl... Just as I've expected." He eyed the gaping wound along his right side. "But don't disappoint me now. I didn't spend all those years raising you to have you die on me."

Ares craned his neck up towards the sky, allowing the water to spill over his being. After listening for a moment, he silently thanked the entity that had granted him this brief moment of free will.

"This isn't over yet!" He declared with a roar. With that there was a brilliant flash of light; crimson flames wrapped about the Martian heir and gently lifted her from the ground into a cocoon of warmth. Rei stirred lightly as golden threads flew across wounds, cleansing them with unbelievable ease.

_It feels so warm… _She peered out from under heavy-lidded eyes. Although she couldn't see what was happening around her, she could feel the pain melting away.

_What is this…?_

"Ares…?" She spotted him and nearly had a heart attack._ You aren't dead?!_

"It can't be…" Michiru whispered. She felt her own powers were resonating with the flames.

**"**_**Don't lose focus!"**_A voice in the rain advised.

"What's going on?" Rei tried to move but found her that her movements were restricted.

"You still have a job to fulfill." Ares reminded her. "Don't lose sight of that."

"What do you--? Ah! Fire?! Where am I?" She gasped. "It's… Aaaahhhh...getting so hot--!!"

Her pulse accelerated as the energy around her fused into her own. Soon her entire body was brimming with power.

_What's happening to me?! _She could feel his eyes on her.

**"**_**I, Mars Ares…"**__ His voice boomed. __**"…hereby relinquish both my throne and title. Use it wisely… Mars, Rei… GODDESS OF WAR!"**_

_**FWOOooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!!**_

The flames flew up into the sky, evaporating all of the rain with their re-kindled might. And at the center of it all, Rei's presence dominated the plain; behind the fire, her steely determination resounded powerfully in her eyes and materialized the flames to greater heights.

_She's truly a force to be reckoned with, _the former God of War mused, greatly pleased. However, with the last drop of rain gone he felt the call resonate deep within him.

**Ping!**

"Gah--!" Ares's hands flew to his head.

"What?" Rei reeled her power in and the wall of flames diminished._ I feel so strange! Better than I've ever felt before! But, how is this even possible? I thought...When he taught me that technique, he didn't want me to be his heir._

"Rei!" Michiru rushed to her side.

"Michiru! You--!"

"There's no time for that! HE'LL be here any minute!"

"Huh? Who? You can't mean--"_ Apollo?! _"But weren't you working with him? I don't understand!"

"You both… should have enough power now." Ares uttered to Michiru. "However, it would be useless without a guide! Agh!" The pain inside his head was growing. The call was gaining strength.

_My mother must have told him. But nevertheless, he's right. _"Locating a trail that would take us to Apollo would take a considerable amount of time. I haven't the faintest idea of where to start looking! The new fabrication of this dimension has destroyed any previous paths." Michiru analyzed aloud.

"Then use me!" Ares proposed.

"Excuse me?"

"I still have a connection with Apollo. If you destroy my body, you can track his presence back to him!" His struggles for mental domination escalated to greater heights. "Gah—AHHhH!"

"Wait a second!" Rei interrupted in confusion. "You mean this entire thing... You, and Him… this was a set up?!"

Michiru was silent for a moment. "…There was much that was taken into consideration. I found an opportunity while conversing with the Sun God. I thought that I might be able to undo the mind control he had over Ares if we were in close proximity, but I quickly realized that I could not. It was too strong, and at that point I could not stop what had been set into motion. If I had come to your aid even once during the battle, Apollo would have instantly regained control over Ares. However, once you were able to weaken him enough…"

"Forget about that! What about now?!"

"He'll be taken over again." Michiru eyed the dry ground where puddles had resided moments earlier.

"Destroy me!" Ares demanded.

Rei was forced to step away from the God as his flailing grew wild. She hesitated, but a gentle hand on her shoulder brought her to look into firm aquamarine eyes.

"There is nothing that we can do for him. Apollo has controlled his mind for so long that his presence has left a permanent imprint. He will continue to summon Ares until he submits."

"Indeed." An unimpressed voice dryly agreed.

"Apollo!" Rei and Michiru shouted at once.

…_Apollo! _Michiru stood tall and unyielding to his intimidating gaze.

"Now what do we have here? A Goddess, a traitor, _and_ a human who has ascended to the rank of God? I do not recall this as part of our agreement." The Sun God eyed the trio with sour dislike. "You're a traitor, just like your Mother!" He spat.

_A human ascended to a God? _Rei stared at the Sun God in disbelief._ Is he talking about me? But that would mean--! That I--!_

"My mother was the tactician that led to your eventual downfall. What less did you expect from her daughter?" Michiru looked him in the eye.

"…!" The man clenched his hands into fists by his sides. "Well, she isn't around to protect you this time! Ares!"

"NO—ARRGH!!" An orange hue started to surround his body until a lightning bolt assaulted the Sun God.

"What?!" Apollo's concentration was broken as the aquamarine lightning-bolt warped and wrapped about him. "Impossible! You still dare to defy me, even after death?! What a nuisance!"

"Do it now! Before it's too late!" Ares commanded them.

"Rei!" Michiru grabbed a hold of the other woman's hand. Reluctantly Rei felt her newfound power begin to surge and intermingle with Michiru's as before.

_No. No, no, no! Things are going too fast! I'm a Goddess?! Ares, what?! _Amethyst eyes watched as the fused powers rise like a fiery spirit and descend upon the fallen God.

_This isn't fair! _She wanted to scream at him._ I still haven't beaten you yet! You think you can just go off and die and make everything better like that?!_

She couldn't suppress the hot tears that fell freely now. "ARES!"

_**ROOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAARRRRR!! KABLAAAAAAM!**_

The man's body disintegrated within the explosion and consequently warped the small space where he once stood. Rei and Michiru lunged towards the newly created portal, with Michiru tightly gripping onto her comrade's white-knuckled hand.

_Rei… _Her own heart ached at her friend's loss.

"…" Rei clung onto Michiru's hand so tightly that she was numbly aware of their approach to the portal. It was a spiral of orange light, the last gift her mentor left behind.

As the two women passed through it, the new Goddess of War heard his voice echo distantly,

**"****Lead them well…"**

…_All right... I can promise you that much. I won't fail!_

_**FwoooOOOOOOOOSH!**_

"DAMN IT!" Apollo cried in outrage. In a fury he grasped the accursed energy about his waist and broke it with a twitch of his hand. "Two more got away!"

Without hesitation the Sun God retreated. Even as his presence vanished from the area, remnant dust particles of the explosion continued to shower the area. Black eyes watched the breathless sight in distant wonder.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" A woman quietly inquired from behind. The former Goddess of Neptune patiently measured the God's reaction expectantly.

"Neptune." Ares turned to face her. He peered down at his hands, finding them transparent like the rest of his being. "Neptune, I… I'm…"

"It's all right… I understand." She shushed him, and reassuringly touched his cheek.

The God's face visibly relaxed. "It's not over yet, is it?"

"No…" She eyed him sadly. "But soon... The children have grown strong."

Ares hesitated, considering this for a moment. He then eyed his blade, still sunken in the brittle rock.

"Yes, they have… And it is every God's wish to one day see their student surpass them." He touched the blade and watched as it broke and crumbled back into ash.

_**Shhhhhhhhhhhhhsssssssssssssss….**_

_Soon…_

…_We await the day when we will no longer need to fight…_

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**Next up in HFD, Ch. 39: Against the Sun: Setsuna**

**Apollo appeared fairly anxious to get his hands on Michiru's mirror...but what was it that he wanted to check up on so badly? In another corner of the spiritual realm, perhaps the God's fears were not unfounded. **

"_**Tell me, Setsuna. Do you...harbour any regrets?"**_


	39. Against the Sun: Setsuna

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Sailor Moon**

**A/N****: Hey, so I know that I said that I'd try to update earlier than six months (and it's already been over a year now since the last update) but this summer was the first time in awhile that I actually had some free time. So I've just posted a version two of the story. The following changes have been made: New chapters, new scenes, extended scenes, some chapters and scenes have been completely rewritten, the format (hopefully it's all nice and consistent now), the honorific system has been changed as well to fit the story a bit better. And lastly, overall spelling and grammar should have improved quite a bit. So yes! The major change is largely due to the addition of two new plot points that carry out quite a ways throughout the story; ie. approximately around chapter 9 onwards. The majority of my summer went towards the upgrade, so if someone could read the new version and let me know what they think of it that would be AWESOME.**

**As for the new chapters...Although this one was somewhat on the shorter end of things, there will be two more updates after this. Just two, so the story is quickly coming to an end. The last two chapters have already been written up and as soon as I give them another look over I will post those as well. **

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(Dark Void)

_In the beginning there was darkness._

_The sky was dark, and empty. It had been that way since the day I had first laid eyes on it. But today, for some peculiar reason, there were dark-gray clouds beginning to swirl overhead. Brief flashes of light could be seen flickering within the thick cover. I didn't know how I knew it, but a storm was approaching._

_Today, there would be another fight. There were battles every day, but it was so long ago that I can no longer distinguish who the enemy was anymore. Who was I fighting? It didn't matter. I was being attacked so I fought back. _

_That was the first time that I met them._

_A young boy and his twin sister... I was injured at the time. I thought they were going to attack me, but to my surprise, they didn't. _

"_Hey...! Hey! Are you all right?!" _

"_Wait, don't try to move. You're hurt." The woman kneeled down beside me while the young man cautiously peered around._

"_Crap! They really don't know when to give up!" He turned to look at me and the blood drained from his face. "Oh wow! You're really banged up, aren't you? It must hurt quite a bit..."_

"_Who are you?"_

_I could see the young woman's energy beginning to flow around my wound, healing it. Why were they helping me?_

"_OH! Well...I'm Apollo...and this is my sister, Artemis! But don't worry about that right now. We need to get you patched up and get going! The enemy will be here any minute!"_

"_I don't understand..."_

"_Hm? What's to understand? You're hurt, you need help...and, you're just like us! We have to stick together!"_

_I was still confused, but when they both clasped my hands and looked at me..._

_I was happy._

(Setsuna)

She had been surrounded by darkness back then, and she still was now. Setsuna blinked and inwardly shivered as the cold air enveloped her. There was someone lying at her feet.

_It's been awhile since I had that dream... _She turned her back to the body and stepped away. _I wasn't even aware that the dead could dream._

Setsuna sighed quietly to herself. She had only regained consciousness, but Haruka was long gone. The stoic woman didn't blame her comrade for her actions; in fact, she respected the wind ruler for her logical decision. Where she was now, no one could help her.

The woman peered around the dark void with a growing sense of loneliness.

_But what does it matter? It's finally over. _She didn't know how many times she had repeated the phrase to herself now. _It's finally over, but...then why do I feel this heavy sense of regret? I have dutifully served My Lady to the best of my capabilities until the very end. I endured loneliness for so long, that I thought—I thought I would be so relieved when I could finally rest! But this...! Even after I've passed away, I'm alone!_

_I've been left behind..._

_I want to see you._

**...Fwooooossssssh... Tup. Tup. Tup.**

Setsuna weakly looked up as the footsteps drew nearer. Although she no longer possessed a body, she could have sworn that the heart in her chest was beating fast. She could scarcely believe it.

"My Lady..." Setsuna stood there frozen as the other woman walked towards her, and stopped a few steps away. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know what to say; she was finally here, but the words she had kept inside for so long would not leave her lips.

Queen Serenity smiled and then extended her hand to the shocked woman. "...Setsuna."

There were tears welling in Setsuna's eyes. She couldn't hold back any longer. "Artemis!" She flung herself into the woman's waiting arms and felt her hug back.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry I couldn't save either of you!"

_...I failed you! And I killed him!_

Serenity said nothing, but continued to cradle her silently in a loving embrace. She held her tight and stroked her hair until Setsuna's sobs subsided. Only once she had calmed down, Queen Serenity pulled back to look her dear friend in the eye.

"Setsuna...what happened back then, it wasn't your fault. There is no need to apologize."

Her smile meant to comfort her, but it brought Setsuna pain. "But--" She was cut off by a finger on her lips.

Serenity shook her head. "Shhh...You've done nothing wrong. Honestly, why do you continue to beat yourself up for it?"

Setsuna averted her gaze. "Because...!"

"It is I, who should apologize."

"What?" Setsuna was surprised when the other woman cupped her cheek.

"I passed away so suddenly and left you behind to carry this burden all by yourself. You suffered all of these years, alone, for my sake nd for that, I am sorry."

It was Setsuna's turn to shake her head. _None of that matters now..._

"I missed you."

Serenity smiled. "I missed you too. However, I'm afraid that our reunion will have to be postponed for awhile longer."

"What?" The woman's crimson eyes widened. "What do you mean? I'm already..."

Setsuna was surprised when her Lady released her, but she did not chase after her. Serenity stepped past her and knelt down beside her body.

"Tell me, Setsuna. Do you...harbour any regrets?"

The question made the woman's heart skip a beat. "No! Of course not! How could I...?"

"Is that so? But didn't you just tell me that you regretted not being able to save us?" Serenity held her hand over the body's wounds and a white light was emitted. The action confused her friend.

"What are you doing?" _Is she trying to heal me? But Haruka already tried that and it failed._

"...There's still time for you."

"I don't understand. I'm dead, aren't I? I'm right here!"

"Yes, that's true. If this were any other case, then you would have passed on, just as I have..." There was a serious expression on her face as she said this. "Listen, Setsuna. Under any other circumstance, your body would have healed this wound. But because of the spiritual levels of this dimension, your time has been frozen. Even as we speak, it's trying to heal itself."

_So are you saying that I'm not dead? _"But even if that were true, nothing will come out of it. It was a spiritual wound."

"Correct again. A spiritual wound cannot be healed by the living. However...if it were healed by another spiritual being..."

Setsuna's eyes widened at the implication. Suddenly, she felt dizzy; her body's wound was closing up, but it was re-opening many more.

"Wait. Artemis...!" Her consciousness was fading fast. She was trying to fight it, but it was futile.

_There's...still something that you need to do..._ Serenity smiled back at her. It was a smile, but not the same sad one that Setsuna was used to seeing on the Moon Kingdom. This was full of warmth.

"Setsuna...I'll always be with you. I'll always be waiting..."

There was a flash of light, and Setsuna's world went dark.

(Minako)

In a black space far away, Minako was only regaining consciousness. The young Venusian pushed herself upright into a sitting position and blinked at the darkness. Her brow soon furrowed in confusion.

"Hmm? Where is everyone?" _What happened to me? The last thing I remember..._

As the blonde tried to recollect her memory, two figures in the darkness materialized and slowly began to walk towards her. Minako sensed the two presences as a third materialized behind her with a blast of wind and light.

_W-What?! _The Venusian shakily turned to see who it was and had expected the worse, but it wasn't the Sun God. A hand holding a garnet staff appeared through the portal, followed by the rest of the slender figure. She gasped when she saw Setsuna's crimson eyes meet hers; her power was incredible. Did she always possess this degree of strength?

Setsuna stepped into the realm as the portal disappeared behind her, and hit her staff on the black surface of the ground. The sound echoed loudly throughout the dimension and startled the faraway individuals.

_Setsuna...?_

"That is enough!" Setsuna ordered in a commanding voice. "You have already suffered enough. Do not allow yourselves to be controlled by him any longer!"

Setsuna raised her staff and the jewel at its end began to emit a pink-ish light. The individuals tensed up.

"With my power, I will break the chains that bind you! Now go, and find rest!"

The light engulfed the entire area. Unknown to Minako, the two people in the darkness reverted into two spiritual lights and flew towards her. The Venusian yelped when she felt something hit her, but when the light faded away there was nothing but darkness once again.

_Huh? That's strange... I feel kind of weird. _She held her head. "Oh! Setsuna! Is that really you?!"

Setsuna watched the younger woman stand up and looked at her with a determined look in her eyes. For a moment, she was worried that the girl was going to declare her an imposter and fight her. But then she did something worse; Minako suddenly grabbed onto the woman with a suffocating hug and burst into tears.

"Seeeetsuuuuna!!!!!!"

"Ah...What?"

"I'm sorry! It's really good to see you! But Rei..." The mention of the name set the young woman off again and Setsuna was left trying to figure out what the problem was.

"What about Rei?" She calmly asked her.

"She--She's..."

"Alive."

"Huh?" Minako thought her heart skipped a beat. Did she hear what she thought she heard? She looked back at Setsuna's confident expression and saw a faint smile on her lips. Minako almost forgot what she had just been thinking about. "Are you sure? Do you really mean that?! But she disappeared right in front of my eyes!"

"She is alive." Setsuna repeated firmly. "And so are the others. They are gathering as I speak."

"What? Where? I don't see them anywhere." She tried looking around, but Setsuna's gaze was focused further in the distance. Through the dimension she could sense multiple energy signatures breaking through the space, all chasing after one at the very front.

"We should go."

"What? Go where?" Minako watched as Setsuna opened a portal comprised of white light, similar to the one she had arrived in.

"To the others... They're all waiting for us. Rei is waiting for us as well." She added, and saw the Venusian's face light up. "Are you ready?"

Minako grinned back. "Yeah," she nodded.

_Let's go!_

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**Next up in HFD**

**Apollo has racked up a long list of enemies. Each of the current planet leaders, their mentors, an old friend from way back, and an overdue family reunion...But the Sun God was not revered to be the strongest of the Gods way back for nothing. If he manages to obtain his trump card once again, will the young group of Goddesses even stand a chance against him? Or has the tide of battle already shifted due to the loss of his favorite puppet?**

"_**He didn't control Ares because of his bloodlust. He did it...because Ares was the only one other than his sister that he even considered a threat to him!"**_

**The long-lasting battle against the Sun concludes in this next chapter! Chapter 40: Against the Sun: Sun God Apollo**


	40. Against the Sun: Sun God Apollo

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Sailor Moon**

**A/N: Apologies for the late update. I've been busy between finals and the eye surgery. P.S. Kudos to my little sis for helping me edit this chapter! You're awesome Wolfy! Okay, last chapter...GO!**

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(Dark Void)

As Apollo fled through the darkness his head was abuzz with angry thoughts. The Martian and the Goddess of Neptune had narrowly escaped his trap; through some impossible means Ares had somehow grown a backbone during his final moments and had nobly committed suicide. If that were all, there would have been no need for concern. However, the God of War had passed his powers on to his chosen heir—the human that Apollo had tried to convince Neptune to murder in cold blood. Though it sorely pained him to admit it, he had miscalculated.

_How was this possible?! It was perfect! It should have gone according to plan! _He couldn't get it out of his head—that perfectly, smug look on the Goddess's face when his meticulous plan began to unravel. The very insinuation that a mere _child _could match wits with him gnawed at his bones. While it was true that the Goddess may have been one of the key tacticians behind the plan, it wouldn't have been successful if there hadn't been outside interference; the bolt of lightning and Ares's betrayal were all a result of the real tactician behind the scenes. But the daughter of the betrayer had been right about one thing: Like mother, like daughter. It infuriated him so much that he couldn't wait to crush them.

_If it weren't for--Bah, never mind! It's just a small loss. Ares was a useful puppet, but he was not the best. _His smile widened at the thought. _Soon, very soon... Just wait for me a little longer!_

**Ping!**

"World..."

_What?! _Apollo spun on his heel as a golden light lit the darkness.

"...SHAKING!"

**Whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii**_**iiiiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr---Swoosh!**_

With surprising ease the Sun God teleported out of the way and earned a grunt of frustration from his opponent. Slowly, silver eyes met dark green. Haruka instantly felt a chill run through her body.

"Oh. It's just you." Apollo remarked nonchalantly. "Well, what do you want? As you can see, I'm a very busy person you know, and I can't afford to be late for an appointme--"

"Cut the crap!" Haruka shot back. Her outburst seemed to actually have taken Apollo aback. "Do you really think I give a shit about your 'busy schedule'?"

_What you did to them..._

There was a heavy pause as Haruka panted to catch her breath. Her entire body was shaking with rage.

_...I will never forgive you!_

"As I see it, you're just going to have to make some time. Better put it under 'your funeral'."

Instead of feeling rage, the God actually found her attitude amusing. _The brat has spunk. I'll give her that. _

"Since you already know who I am...and I, you, Uranus Haruka... I assume that introductions are not necessary."

"Spare me the talk! Just die already!" Haruka lunged forward and the God's eyes flashed.

"Amazing. Do you really believe that you can defeat me alone?!"

"HaaaaaAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!! WORLD...SHAKING!!"

**Whiiiiiiiiiiii**_**iiiiiIIIIRRRRR---Swoosh!**_

Apollo successfully evaded the attack once again, but this time he unexpectedly came face to face with his opponent. Before he had even blinked Haruka was on him.

"Take this!" Haruka leapt forward and threw a hard punch, grabbing only air, and spun around with a back kick. "Rrg! Would you stop jumping around already?! Hold still dammit!"

"Alright."

_**Bam!**_

Haruka hurled a punch at his face and this time the blow connected. Apollo hadn't even blinked. His head angled slightly, but his eyes were still trained on her with deadly promise. A terrible feeling flashed through her body when Apollo grabbed her hand and twisted it. Haruka yelped in surprise and instinctively tried to fall back, but his grip was tight. She could only contemplate the blood rushing to her face when flung her like a ragdoll.

"AHH!"

Haruka hit the floor hard, but with a roll she was back on her feet. A little startled, she raised her hand again.

"World...SHAKI--"

_**CRACKLE!**_

"Aggh?!" An orange bolt burnt her hand. She glimpsed Apollo's own raised hand just as another was discharged.

_**---CRACKLE!**_

"AHHH!!!!!" It pierced her left leg and flared up briefly around her body. Haruka immediately dropped to one knee and tightly gripped her injured hand. Despite the spiritual protection she possessed in her transformed state, the gloved had been completely burnt off and the skin beneath it was suffering from first degree burns.

_My hand—Errgh! It's shaking so badly. I can barely move it! Dammit! Where did he get this kind of power?_

"Please, is that all you can do? Against a weaker foe you may be able to pull off the same attack over and over again and somehow fluke out with a win, but as you can see your power is nothing compared to mine. You were a fool to challenge me alone, Uranus."

"Yeah, well, I guess that depends on how you look at it." The faint sound of chuckling reached her ears. "What's so funny?"

"Hahaha...Oh, nothing much. It's just, you're so much like your predecessor..."

"What'd you say?!"

"He was brash and incredibly stubborn. A strong fighter though. Your face says that you don't believe me, but he was young once too, though, I highly doubt that he'd remembered any of it. I have no idea how a kid like you managed to unseat him from the throne, but for that I suppose I owe you my thanks. It wouldn't have been so easy to kill him if he were still a God."

"Grr..." _This guy is really starting to tick me off! _Haruka whipped out her hand, wanting nothing better than to wipe that smug smile off of his face, but she hesitated when she noted that the atmosphere around the God was distorted. Although it was invisible, the wind told her that there was a large mass of vibrating energy around his form.

_The sneaky rat! The moment I attack he will too._ Haruka took a deep breath.

"Yeah, well you might be right about that. He was a stubborn old geezer, but don't you think it's strange? A weakling like him was strong enough to take down the 'King' of the Gods. That kind of says something, don't you think?"

Apollo's smile never faltered, but she sensed a shift in his aura.

"Now who told you such a lie? Don't tell me that the people of Uranus are so arrogant to believe that their God could defeat the ruler of the Gods by himself! If he had fought alone, he would have been crushed like the pest he was."

"Maybe."

"Maybe? Do you even know what you're saying or are you just babbling now? Regardless of how long you intend to draw this out I _will_ kill you and the others. Even as I speak your armies are being decimated."

Apollo had been expecting the short-tempered woman to throw a tantrum, but to his surprise she was strangely quiet.

"...I don't need their help."

"And why is that? Tell me. Where is this confidence coming from? You were born a human, and lived like a scavenger for years until Uranus took pity on you and took you in. Compared to him you are nothing. You ascended the throne through sheer luck alone, and yet you still have the arrogance to believe that a garbage-eater such as yourself can even stand a chance against me?!"

Despite herself, Haruka found herself smirking in face of the rant.

"Setsuna."

The mere utterance of the name prompted the Sun God to frown deeply. That was it. That was the face that she wanted to see.

"Setsuna is dead." He finally remarked with a stern face.

"Heh. Did I hit a nerve? Well, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. She was your right hand man and she took you down like it was child's play."

The air around Apollo began to spark. "That's enough!" He threw out his hands and a single beam of energy stormed out. Haruka rolled to the right but the energy flew up behind her and disengaged into five separate beams.

"What--?!"She dove to her left, hitting the ground briefly, and scrambled for balance as the beams tore into the black surface behind her.

"Hah!"

_**Crackle! Crackle!**_

_**Crackle!**_

In her haste she leapt into the air to narrowly escape another. As she hung mid-air her eyes widened a touch at feeling two more heat sources shot under her airborne limbs. She had luckily missed three beams but where had the other two gone?

"Rgh!" Haruka hit ground and immediately sprinted as another curved around and gave chase. "Hah! Hah! Hah! HaH!"

_Damn! T-These things just don't know when quit!_

She turned her attention back to where she was going and was taken aback to rediscover one of the missing beams. It was barrelling straights towards her. Haruka instinctively jerked her right hand but threw out her left at the last second.

"H---AH!"

_**Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!**_

She had deflected the beam with her powers, but she missed the one that had been trailing right behind it. "Shit--" The word had barely left her lips before it pierced her chest. A painful cry was wretched from her throat as the energy circulated around her form, setting her nerves ablaze as if they were on fire. While she was stunned the beam from behind had caught up; it abruptly swung through the small of her back like an uppercut and left a long burn mark across the skin. Haruka grimaced as she was thrust forward, unconsciously knowing that her wounds would not heal in this battle.

Before Uranus's ruler could touch the ground again Apollo appeared below her. With one hand he grabbed her left shoulder and yanked her down into his uprising knee. **BAM! **Haruka's mouth opened in a wordless gasp. She glimpsed the power-lust in the God's silver eyes moments before he grabbed her foot and began to swing her around in circles. It was a painful, stomach churning experience until finally he planted his foot down and threw her with all his might.

"Augh!"

_**Crack--Thud! Roll...**_

When she finally lurched to a stop, she was seeing flashing lights in front of her eyes. Haruka lay doubled over on the ground, as the pain continued to bombard her vision. She couldn't see anything, but there was a salty taste of iron dribbling down her nose.

Haruka was caught off-guard when someone grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her up onto her feet. Apollo briefly twirled her in his hold, and brought his other hand securely around her throat.

"Do you still think you can win?" He asked again.

Haruka gulped. As she deliberated for an answer, he lowered his free hand down her arm until it hovered just over her injured hand. Before Haruka could brace herself for the pain he dug his fingers into it tightly.

_**Crunch.**_

"AH-HHHH_HHHH_!! Son of a---!!"

"Well, do you?"

Haruka heaved for breath for a few seconds, before forcing a smile in response. "Are you deaf? I already said that I can! This dimension of yours-- you have to materialize to hurt me. But it goes both ways doesn't it? Because I can hurt you too!"

Apollo was silent for a moment.

"Is that what you thought?" The laughter in his voice sent chills running down Haruka's back. "Silly girl, you're even more foolish than I thought you were. It's true that I have to "materialize" to affect you directly, but what if I materialized while I was inside of you? After all, it goes both ways, does it not?"

He raised his hand and pressed it on the inside of her left shoulder-blade for emphasis.

_He's not--!!!_ Her heart skipped a beat. Haruka jerked in an effort to struggle away but the hand around her throat tightened. She felt his arm drawn back for the final blow.

"This is the end. Goodbye, brat."

_S-ShiT!!!!!_

_**SHhhhRRKK!!!**_

At that moment, a portal opened at the God's backside.

"Back off!"

"What?!"

"Sparking…Wide Pressure!"

**Sssssss----KABLAM!**

"Arrgh!!!" The surprise attack hit dead on. Apollo was forced into a hasty retreat as the second round of fire lit the shadows.

"Shine…Aqua Illusion!"

**KABLAM!**

"Ami, take care of Haruka! I'm going to hold him off!"

_Ami? Makoto?! _Haruka coughed for breath as she sensed the shorter woman catch her. Through teary eyes she could just make out Makoto's back as she charged after Apollo. "Wait! You can't take him alone!"

"HaaaaaAAAH!!!!" Makoto's eyes flashed as she hurled a fistful of energy towards her opponent. The God lifted a hand in response and unleashed a blast of his own just as the green lightning lashed out. In an instant the white light had engulfed Makoto's attack and was flying towards her at a startling speed.

"Makoto, look out!"

Makoto's breathing hitched as everything turned white in her vision. _Wha---?_

"Makoto!"

"Oof!"

_**Whup**_

_**CRACKLE!!!!**_

Both Ami and Makoto were sent tumbling to the floor as the white beam roared past and disappeared into the distance. But the reprieve was brief at best; the failed attempt at heroics appeared to only annoy the Sun God further. Apollo turned on the spot and began to walk towards the stunned pair with purpose.

"Are you all right?" Ami asked her friend.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Makoto nodded back despite the faint ringing in her ears. "But we still gotta do something about _that_ and fast!"

Apollo took another step forward when Ami suddenly dashed to the right and Makoto lunged to the left.

"Sparking…Wide Pressure!"

"Shine…Aqua Illusion!"

**Sssssss----**_**Crackle! **_**BLAM!**

_**Crackle!**_**BLAM!**

Both friends gasped as the smoke cleared.

_Ah! No way!_

_...Impossible! He's still coming?!_

"World...SHAKING!"

**Whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii**_**iiiiiiiiiiiiirrrrRRRRRRR---Kablam!**_

A large backlash of wind swept throughout the area as Uranus's attack struck true to its target. However, Apollo was still standing; the attack had barely left a small indentation where it had hit.

A chill ran down the goddesses spines as the man lifted his head and moved to straighten up. Haruka clenched her jaw as Apollo slowly turned his head towards her. What she saw made her sick to her stomach.

_Shit...He's gone berserk! _His silver eyes were glowing with a white light that reflected no sense of self. The group flinched when the invisible vibrating energy surrounding the God crackled once, before igniting into a white flame surrounding his being. The temperature of the surrounding air was climbing at an alarming rate.

_What's he doing?!_

Apollo wordlessly lifted his arms over his head and clapped his hands together. The energy around him dove into the ground and pulsed around his form in the shape of a symbolic circle.

_What's this feeling?_ _I know I've felt this before! _Haruka contemplated as the dimension began to shake all around them. As the energy around the circle began to rise up, she glimpsed a set of red eyes towering behind the Sun God.

"It can't be--!! Stop him, he's going to summon!" Haruka yelled. The memory of the twin-headed dragon they had encountered within the ballroom flew to mind.

As the others continued their attacks at a distance, Haruka tried her luck again.

"Sparking…Wide Pressure!"

"Shine…Aqua Illusion!"

**Sssssss----Ka**_**--**_**BLAM!**

**Ka--BLAM!**

"World...SHAKING!"

**Whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii**_**iiiiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr---Kablam!**_

The combination of their attacks nearly threw Apollo off balance, but his spell had somehow managed to stay intact. Any minute now the summoning would be complete.

"NO!" _Why can't we stop him?! _The spell circle was pulsing faster. Unfamiliar feelings began to assault Haruka's mind. Anxiousness, doubt and fear—it all personified itself within the trembling of her injured hand.

_This is as far as we can go? Is it going to end like this?! _They had thrown everything they had at the Sun God, and he withstood it all as if they were merely flies to be swatted away. All of their hard work, all the training they had to endure to obtain these powers had hardly even left a scratch...It was that thought that amplified the damage to her pride, especially considering her bold statements that she would be capable of taking down Apollo without any help.

Haruka was at a loss until she thought she heard Michiru's voice call out to her:

"_Don't give up!" _

A spark of self-anger lit within the blonde soldier. "Don't stop! Keep firing at him with everything you got!" She cried out to Ami and Makoto.

As the two Goddesses readied another assault, Haruka struggled to raise her injured hands up and began to summon up a portion of her power. Her entire body lit up with the golden light.

"HaaaaaAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!"

_If focused power won't do it, then let's try raw force! Take...THIS!!!_

"HAAAAH!!!!"

_**Crackle-crackle-crackle-crackle-crackle!!!**_

_**Crackle-Crackle! Crackle!**_

_**Crackle! CRACKLE!**_

All of her attacks were met by an invisible barrier, but the unexpected blast had weakened the god somewhat. Haruka then flew into an all out charge and was halfway across the floor when she suddenly sensed another presence quickly approaching.

_Huh?!_

**Ping!**

_**SHhhhRRKK!!!**_

_**SHhhhRRKK!!!**_

"WOAH!" Haruka hit the floor as two orange chains flew over her head.

Makoto threw another blast at Apollo's barrier seconds before the chains reached their destination, weakening the barrier enough that they flew straight through and slung themselves around Apollo's the arms. The god gave a cry of outrage as his limbs were effectively constrained and her movements were temporarily limited.

"Wait a minute...those chains!"Haruka's whipped her head around to the shadows on her left. "Minako!"

In the background to Makoto's right there was another spark of light. Apollo instinctively tried to yank out of Venus's grasp, but when he could not he planted his feet into the ground and braced himself.

Haruka whipped her head towards the familiar energy. _Huh?!_

"Deep… SUBMERGE!"

**Whiiiiiiiiii**_**iiiiiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrRrRrRRRR**_**---KABLAM!!!!**

Apollo's chest plate took a direct hit and was damaged.

"Michiru!"

The goddess of Neptune scanned the battlefield. Ami and Makoto were to her left, while Haruka was to her far, upper left. All three of her comrades had already received quite a beating she noted. Her other comrade, Minako, was positioned behind the Sun God and was doing her best to restrain his movements, but he was quickly breaking away from her grip. However, that still left one unanswered question hovering in the tactician's sharp mind.

_Where did she...? _Michiru's thoughts were interrupted when the symbolic circle on the floor erupted with a blast of heat and light.

"NO!" She heard a string of curses spring from Haruka's mouth as a double-headed dragon descended into the plane. Michiru herself felt her aquamarine eyes widening.

"What in the name of Neptune...?"

"Agh!"

"Minako!"

Minako was forced to cut her losses and back off as the beast stomped down beside the Sun God and broke the chains. A smug look of satisfaction formed on Apollo's face as he sensed the fear in the air. The dragon seemed to agree and roared hungrily beside him.

"W-What is that thing?!" Makoto was caught off-guard when one of its two tails whipped around and crashed into her side. "GAAH!!"

"Makoto!" Ami rolled and briefly glanced to see her friend hit the ground. She materialized her gun. This time, without any hesitation, she whipped it towards her target and took aim. The round was initially aimed at the dragon but in a split second it dropped towards the Sun God.

"HaAAHH!!!!"

**Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!**

**Bam! Bam!—Swch!**

"Huh?!"

All of her shots had been neutralized by an invisible barrier. On the floor, there was a separate circular symbol encasing Apollo within a revitalized shield.

"So, we can't near him unless we beat that thing first?" Haruka muttered. "What was lazy-ass...YOU COWARD!!"

On the other side of the floor, Minako narrowly evaded the other tail. The woman leapt over it and rolled up in time to see that it was heading straight for Haruka.

"Venus…Love-Me Chain!"

_**BLAM!**_

The chain shot forward and deflected the tail upwards with a powerful thrust. Haruka acted instinctively and dove into the newly created space along the ground and narrowed escaped a painful blow.

"OoF! ...Stupid!" Haruka hissed through her teeth in pain as she accidentally had whacked her hand against the ground. It was twitching uncontrollably now but she bit her lip and got to her feet just as the beast turned one of its head's towards Minako. With a painful gasp she summoned up another world shaking. But this time, she impaled the glowing ball of energy through the end of her sword. All the while, through the corner of her eye, she could make out Makoto, Michiru and Ami battling the twin to the side.

**Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!**

_**Crackle! Crackle!**_

"Deep… SUBMERGE!"

**Whiiiiiiiiii**_**iiiiiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrRrRrRRRRR**_**---KABLAM!!!!**

The dragon faltered for a moment before its shook its heads. With a roar it unleashed a blast of air, forcing the team back. As the Goddesses were recovering from the surprise, two beams of light began to charge up in the dragon's mouths. The spiritual levels of the surrounding dimension were falling rapidly.

_It's going to--!! _

"HaaaaAAAHH!!!"

"Haruka?!"

"Stop! Don't do it!"

Everyone turned their heads as the blonde rushed the creature head-on. During mid-dash she drew her sword back and aimed the world shaking at the dragon's heads, while being fully aware that Apollo was waiting beneath it. The man's aura had also flared up expectedly to take the brash soldier down.

_I don't have a choice! If that thing hits us then we're all dead! _She was about to swing forward when one of the two heads suddenly blew up. Its twin swirled around in shock. Apollo caught a glint of red light behind him as the mysterious soldier released a second strike.

"...Flame Sniper." Another fiery arrow was shot and, with a deafening explosion, the second head also disappeared in a flash of light.

Minako felt her eyes widening in complete shock. "I can't believe it..." She whispered to herself.

In the distance, she could hear Haruka finishing her assault on the beast. Throwing her entire weight into the strike, the sword pierced pierced its chest; the world shaking tore up the monster from the inside-out and split it into two. Everyone had to clear to area as multiple explosions rocked the vicinity.

_**KABLAAAAAAM!!!!!!**_

Haruka was thrown aside by the blast and landed in front of the mysterious person's feet. "About time you—you..." She looked up and had intended to greet her friend until she saw the golden light brimming around her.

_Oh no..._

"REI!" _She's alive! _Minako called to her but the woman didn't look back. Her gaze was trained on something else. "Rei...?" _That light..._

The atmosphere amongst the group of Goddesses grew tense at this unexpected predicament, but the one who was worried the most at the moment was Haruka. The blonde was close to sweating bullets. Why wasn't Michiru coming to help her?

_She's really going to use that power again? Sure, it's powerful, but what good does that do if you go berserk?! _That was when a strange thought hit her. _Wait a minute. But that attack that she just used... I don't remember her ever using something like that before. That was Rei wasn't it? _

Haruka gasped and threw her hands up when Rei lifted her hand. She was instead surprised when Rei reverted back to her normal, suit of armor form.

"Relax," Rei said calmly as she withdrew the sword from her side. "This isn't for you."

It took a few seconds for her friend to realize that Rei had actually spoken. But that wasn't all that had shocked her.

"Rei. That form just now... How were you able to access that kind of power?"

"It's complicated." Rei muttered. "I'll tell you about it later..."

Haruka heard a sad undertone in her voice, but the determination in her eyes said a lot more. She was angry, and ready for a fight.

"Wait! It's good that you're stronger now, but don't even think about taking him on by yourself! He'll kill you." Behind them, the shield around Apollo fell. The God withdrew his weapon and brandished his sword as he turned to face them.

"I can do this Haruka."

"What? Didn't you just hear a word I said?! He's already gone berserk! There's no way I'm going to let you—Ah!" Haruka was forced to step back as the golden light around Rei flared up again with vengeance.

As her powers continued to manifest, Rei felt everything begin to change again. Her senses were becoming sharper; her sense of smell, her hearing—she could hear every heartbeat within the vicinity, all except for the single entity that stood before her. Everything and everyone disappeared from Rei's vision until all she could see was the enemy. For a split second a fierce, almost animalistic instinct threatened to take her over, but now that she was aware of its presence it was easily put back to rest. Rei was indeed angry, but she was also perfectly sane. If she was going to get revenge it was going to be on her own terms.

_I'm going to wipe that stupid smirk right off of your face! _Rei swung her sword around and charged forward. Apollo eagerly ran forward to meet the challenge. In an instant he dove low and swung up as she swooped down.

"HaaaaAAAAHHH!!!"

"HWOOOOOO!!"

_**TINZ--FWooOOOOOOOSSSH!!!!!!!!!**_

The first collision of their blades discharged a powerful wave of energy. The other women in the vicinity braced themselves and clung to one another to avoid being swept away by the fierce winds.

_W-What power! _The sheer magnitude of their spiritual pressures was putting the dimension's stability at risk. Haruka dug in her back heels and hugged low to the ground in the desperate attempt to remain grounded, but she was slipping. There was another clash of swords and backlash of wind. Haruka tensed as the wave drew near but suddenly there was another body beside her.

"Haruka!"

_Michiru?!_

When the wind died down she weakly lifted her head and found her partner's expression full of concern. "Haruka, are you all right? Ah, your hand!"

"I'm fine!" She shook her head when Michiru attempted to heal her. "No, don't bother. It's not going to work."

"What?"

"Long story short, as long we we're trapped here we won't be able to heal ourselves." She met her eyes. "If I were able to heal myself, don't you think I would have already done it by now?"

"But then--!!" Realizing what Haruka had just said, Michiru's eyes were drawn to the fighting pair nearby.

_Rei!_

"Wait!" Haruka quickly grabbed her arm, and received an incredulous look in response.

"Why are you trying to stop me?" Michiru was confused but more so because of the seriousness in Haruka's eyes.

"...Don't help her." As Haruka said this, she let go of Michiru's arm and staggered back onto her feet. "I've been wondering about this for awhile now...About why it had to be this way. But now, I think I finally understand."

Michiru blinked back. "What are you talking about?"

"Out of all of the Gods and Goddesses, why do you think Apollo took control of Ares?"

In the center of the battlefield, Rei summoned up red flames around her sword and stabbed at the God. Apollo attempted to yank away from the attack, but he wasn't fast enough and ended up being speared through the left shoulder.

_**STAB**_

"GaHHH!" His shoulder guard was instantly swallowed up by the flames. The man in turn swung back with the motion and whirled on Rei. Rei met the blow with a backhanded glance and knocked his arm away as she brought her blade down again. This time her strike drew a long slash down the front of his armor. The metal cracked where the blade had gouged but it had not penetrated deep enough to completely break through. Rei muttered an angry curse under her breath before she relentlessly pursued her retreating opponent.

_**Ting! Ting! **_

_**Slash—Tinz! **_

_**Slash—slash----ting! CRACKLE!!**_

"Don't you see?" Haruka continued on. "He didn't control Ares because of his bloodlust. He did it because Ares was the only one other than his sister who was a threat to him!"

Apollo and Rei's blades met again, releasing another wave of sharp energy.

"But it's not just that. If we jump in now, we'll only be getting in the way. There's no guarantee that we'll be able to hit Apollo without hitting Rei in the recoil."

Both fighters were at a deadlock now. They were so close now that Rei could clearly see the insanity in the God's glowing silver eyes. As Rei pushed her weight against her blade, in the back of her mind she couldn't help but feel uneasy about this predicament. Her opponent had already died once. He possessed no heartbeat, yet he had somehow managed to materialize and was here fighting her at this instant. Could she possibly defeat someone that was already dead?

A chill flew down her spine when Apollo suddenly reached out and grabbed her sword with his gloved hand. It was only for a brief second, but as the armor around his arm shattered Apollo slid his hand up against the blade and discharged the enveloping energy back into her eyes. Rei yelped and stumbled back in surprise.

"Rei!" Minako ran in from the side.

"Minako, don't!"

The Venusian threw herself between the combatants as Apollo closed the distance. There was no time to think. Minako re-materialized her chains again and sent one directly at the God. Apollo instinctively countered and broke it with a single swing of his blade but the second chain caught him off guard and wrapped about one of his feet. His eyes briefly before he was forcefully pulled to the ground and was dragged backwards for a few seconds before he finally gripped onto the chain and shattered it with his bare hand.

Minako's heart skipped a beat as he went to retrieve his sword. "Venus…Love-Me Chain!" She knocked his blade further away, prompting an enraged roar. However it appeared that the sword wasn't quite so essential because he then went straight for her without it.

"Minako!"

"Mina?" Rei muttered in confusion from behind her. Her eyes were still bloodshot but her sight was slowly starting to return. She could distinctively make out someone standing in front of her now.

Minako summoned up her energy again as Apollo's arm came down, but his fist was interrupted by another. At the last second Rei's armoured leg flew up and took the blunt of the attack. Metal plates went flying everywhere but she didn't stop in her advance. Apollo stumbled back in surprise when the Martian blindly lunged forward and tackled him straight into Ami and Makoto's waiting attacks.

"Sparking…Wide Pressure!"

"Shine…Aqua Illusion!"

**Sssssss----KABLAM!**

**KABLAM!**

The God's armor cracked again.

"Keep at it!" Haruka shouted. She stood up and pulled off her remaining glove with her teeth while Michiru had gone on ahead.

"Deep… SUBMERGE!"

**Whiiiiiiiiii**__**---KABLAM!!!!**

_We're almost there! _Haruka wrapped the glove around her injured hand and picked up her sword again. She then sunk into an offensive position and waited for her opportunity. The moment Ami's gun shots distracted him, she saw it.

**Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!**

"HaaaaAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!"

As the others struggled to take the God down, Minako was shaking Rei in a state of panic. After Rei had recklessly attacked the Sun God she collapsed to the ground and hadn't moved since.

"Rei! Rei, speak to me!"

The Martian finally groaned and winced when her mind registered the pain in her leg. "Ouch, would you stop that already? I'm fine--"

_**Slap!**_

Rei was stunned. She slowly turned her head to look at the other woman and saw angry tears in Minako's eyes.

"You're fine?! Is that all you have to say for yourself?! When you suddenly disappeared, I..." Her words trailed off before she could finish. From her expression it looked as though there was more she wanted to say, but Minako bit her tongue.

"Mina, I--"

"There's a lot more that I have to say to you." She cut her off with a shaky voice. "But right now, there's a fight that we have to finish. So, until it's over, don't do anything stupid and get yourself killed."

With that Minako wiped away her tears and went to join the group. Rei touched her cheek in silence for a moment. It stung but somehow it didn't hurt as much as she thought it would. Remembering their time on Uranus, it almost brought a smile to her lips.

"Heh. Same goes for you." Rei stood up and transformed again. "Mars Planet Power, Make-Up!"

**FWOOOOOOOOSH!**

_Let's end this._

As the light faded away, she drew back her hand and a red bow and arrow materialized. On top of that, she summoned up blood magic and funnelled its power into the shot. As the two powers exponentially began to accumulate, her comrades on the battlefield ran for cover.

"Get back!"

**Bam! Bam! Bam!**

Makoto, Minako and Haruka had successfully retreated, but Ami was finding it very difficult to make distance. The Sun God was focusing on her. He had sensed the danger nearby and wasn't about to let her go. Ami's shots continued to hit him dead on, to the point of severing his chest plate, but it wasn't enough. He was still coming at her.

**Bam! Bam! Bam! Click. Click—click.**

_Oh no! I'm out! _Ami discarded the gun and tried to summon up her powers, but it wasn't fast enough. Apollo lunged and she screamed.

"Oh no, you don't!" Minako had reverted back to her normal form and lashed out at him with her brother's sword.

_**Slash!**_

Apollo calmly leapt back, allowing the Goddesses to try and push him back. Over his shoulder, Minako could see that Rei had finished powering up and was ready to pull back herself when the God abruptly grabbed at her blade. "Huh?" The words barely left her lips when Minako was yanked forward so fast that she couldn't tell up from down when he suddenly came down on her with both fists.

"GAH!" He hit her squarely in the back, knocking her straight to the ground. She couldn't see it, but she immediately knew that her backside armor had been smashed in. A surge of panic flashed through her as the God was about to come down again.

"Minako!"

The Venusian squeezed her eyes shut, only to have them shoot open again when she heard someone else cry out. There was a struggle happening above her.

"AAH!!"

"MICHIRU!"

Everyone froze when Apollo grabbed Michiru and swung her in front of him, effectively putting her between him and the Martian. Rei hesitated. Behind the man, Minako glanced at her sword. She had barely reached out for it when a warning shot narrowly missed her head and thoroughly startled the Venusian. The air around the God was sparking dangerously; she was effectively stuck as well.

"Michiru!!!" Haruka shouted from the side.

"D-Don't come any closer!" She warned them.

Rei felt her hands tremble. Her arrow had been aimed at Apollo's head, but if she released the arrow now then Michiru would also be killed in the attack. As if almost looking for the answer, her eyes met Michiru's and felt her heart skip a beat.

"Rei! Shoot it!" Michiru continued to struggle, yet not as much as before. Judging by the grip on her neck, she knew that the God could snap it at any second.

_I..._Rei narrowed her eyes.

"What are you waiting for?! This is your chance!"

Despite her plea, Rei's heart was still wracked with indecision. She _had _disliked Michiru, but never enough to want to kill her. Even as she hesitated, she could feel her friends' intense gazes all rest on her. Haruka's especially.

Haruka briefly met Michiru's eyes and saw the determination in them. For a moment there seemed to be a silent exchange between the two women. Without a word, Haruka suddenly broke the gaze and then shot Rei a serious one.

"Haruka...?"

"_Do it."_

"What?!" The rest of her friends were just as shocked as Rei was.

_Is she just going to let her partner die? _From where Minako was sitting she could see that this was beginning to become too much for Rei. If it were anybody else in her position, she was sure they would have already buckled underneath the pressure. Well, perhaps not for one person. It was then that it occurred to her:

_Where's Setsuna when we need her? Wait a minute. Where is Setsuna?!_

Rei was trying to keep her breathing and shoulders relaxed when she heard a faint voice in her head saying,

"**Shoot it."**

_But I can't! I'll kill her! _

"**Trust me." **

Rei paused. There was something oddly familiar about that reassuring tone.

_That voice. Is that you, Setsuna?_

At that exact moment, the woman stepped out of the shadows from behind the Martian.

"Setsuna?!" Haruka cried out in shock. _Am I seeing things?! _"But I thought you were--"

Apollo instinctively tensed as her presence was unmasked. His silver eyes flashed, and then widened in recognition and something else as her face came into the light. A name was slowly being pieced together in his mind.

_...Set...suna. _His gripped on Michiru automatically slackened.

"Now!" Setsuna commanded.

"Here...it comes!" There was a roar in Rei's ears as she released the arrow and watched it fly towards the pair.

Michiru's eyes narrowed in anticipation. The moment it had been fired, she tightened her grip on the man's hands and pulled her weight to the side. The arrow flew past her side and pierced the middle of Apollo's chest. Apollo gagged as the attack registered, but he didn't have a chance to recover; behind him, Minako grabbed at her sword and plunged it into his back from behind. There was a moment of tension between the parties as the sword was slowly removed and the Sun God slumped to the ground.

"Is--Is that it?" Ami dared to ask.

"Did we get him?" Makoto whispered beside her.

"Michiru! Setsuna!" It looked like Haruka couldn't decide who to run to first.

"I am all right." Setsuna nodded.

"The same goes for me." Michiru panted.

"But how? I..." Both women watched as Haruka debated with herself whether or not to believe them. She was angry, but she was about to become angrier; their reunion was interrupted when Apollo's body abruptly burst into flames and converged into a single one overhead. The next thing that they heard was a mocking laughter that boomed throughout the air around them.

"I'm really starting to hate that laugh." Haruka growled under her breath.

"**AHAHAHAHAHA!!!! That was pretty good! But now, it's over."**

"What did you say?!"

"He's referring to his real body." Setsuna said calmly.

"What?! You mean, that wasn't him?!" Haruka shot back. This time the woman offered no explanation.

"**That's right! What you fought was merely a piece of me. But what does it matter now? As we speak, my trump card is coming right to me! You will all meet your end soon enough!"**

"No...Is he talking about Hotaru?!"

Everyone suddenly remembered the girl they had been chasing. The thought of Apollo getting his grubby hands on Hotaru again was making Haruka's blood boil.

"Grr...Okay, we'll talk later. C'mon! We have to go after him!"

The others nodded. "Right!"

Setsuna lifted her staff and the crimson light engulfed the area once again.

(Hotaru)

While the others had been fighting, Hotaru had been steadily tracking her way through the dimension. It had taken her awhile to hunt down her opponent's spiritual trail, but all of her hard work was starting to pay off; his presence was becoming stronger and more pronounced by the second.

Up ahead she broke through another wall in the space and exited into a large room. For a moment she scanned the area. There was an elevated platform that was encased by a circle of pillars to her right. She instantly recognized the image from one of Setsuna's visions.

_This is it. He's here. _Hotaru narrowed her eyes and silently materialized her silence glaive. _Usagi, please be all right._

As Hotaru cautiously approached the structure she felt her stomach begin to knot up as she sighted the orange light shining past the pillars. It tickled something within her memory, but for the sake of her loved one she ignored the uneasy feeling. Hotaru continued to creep forward until she finally reached one of the columns and ducked close to it. Then, slowly, she peeked around it. The light was bright, nearly blindly her, but up ahead there was a dark shadow lying close to the ground. She blinked. When her eyes adjusted she felt her heart skip a beat.

Without thinking she rushed out to the woman's side and began to shake her. "Usagi?!" _Oh no..._ "Usagi! If you can hear me, say something!"

When she heard her sister moan she silently breathed a sigh of relief. _Thank Goddess...She's alright._

"**So...You've finally come."**

Hotaru turned her head and came face to face with a large spiritual mass of hovering orange energy. Although his appearance had changed since she last saw him, she knew the presence instantly.

"Apollo." She shot him a look of disdain. The former God chuckled in response.

"**I've been waiting for you. Have you finally decided to come home?"**

Hotaru winced when a loud buzzing in her head started.

"Hotaru? What's wrong?" Usagi reached up and placed a hand against her pale cheek. Instantly, upon contact, there was a flash of light before her eyes. Usagi was forced to pull her hand back, but for a moment she had sensed a foreign signature buried deep within her sister's mind.

_There's something there._

Hotaru grunted and beat down the tingling sensation until the noise dimmed. "Usagi," she hissed out. "Whatever happens, stay here, all right? I'll...protect you."

"No, wait! You're not well!"

Apollo was amused when the 'child' stood up and dared to raise her blade against him. It looked as though she were serious this time.

"**You would dare to raise your blade against a blood-relative? That's too bad...And here I went through all the trouble of bringing you a...present."**

Both siblings tensed when a cloud of black particles materialized a few meters in front of them. But they were more shocked when they realized that the figure standing before them was Nozomi. The girl looked ragged. She stared at the floor with empty, glowing red eyes, as if she were already dead.

"Nozomi!" Usagi gasped.

Hotaru was taken aback, but she was more angry than surprised. "What have you done to her?!"

"**Haven't I always told you, my dear niece? Worry about yourself first."**

"Let her go!"

"**Ah, I wouldn't do that if I were you. You see with one, single thought, I can end her pitiful life. If you are so concerned about the girl then you will abide by my commands. However, if you are that desperate to get to me, then you could always do the deed yourself. After all, what's one more life compared to the countless of lives you've already taken?"**

He saw Hotaru hesitate, but only for a second. He was mildly surprised when the girl suddenly began to step towards the girl, with her weapon still in her hands.

"Hotaru? No! You can't be serious!" Usagi protested. She tried to scramble up onto her feet, but the dark look that Hotaru shot her made her freeze in her tracks.

"Do you recall what I told you earlier, Usagi?" Her sister asked her. "On the battlefield, sometimes, you will come across times when there will be things that you need to do...even if you do not wish to do them."

"But she's our friend! She's still alive!"

"So?"

"Huh?" Usagi was shocked.

"What he said was true. I have already killed many people, so what is one more life? If we do not stop him, millions more will be lost."

"But..."

**Tup...Tup...Tup.**

_**Crak—kzz...**_

Hotaru stopped in front of the girl with dark energy crackling all around her. Nozomi's eyes blankly stared back as the woman raised her hand.

"I'm sorry..but you're in my way." Hotaru pulled her hand back.

"Hotaru, N_OOOOOO_!!!" Usagi screamed.

Hotaru instead lashed out with her other hand and punched the girl in the head. Nozomi crumpled to the ground but in her place was the shadow assassin who had possessed her. The creature briefly blinked back in confusion and moved for its weapon but was cut down by Hotaru's blade before it could defend itself.

_**SLASH!**_

"SKRRREE!!!"

**Shroom!**

Contrary to what Usagi had thought Nozomi soon stirred on the floor. The blonde had nearly broken down into tears as she rushed to the girl's side. All the while, Hotaru had remained frozen to the spot. She watched her sibling pick the smaller girl up and held her close, protectively, but she said nothing. There was a dark and contemplative look in her dark-eyes.

"**Amusing..."**

Her uncle finally said.

"**You rejected the darkness within her with your own. However, it was a foolish waste of time and energy. Regardless of your plans, you cannot put them into action as long as they are around."**

"Hotaru? What is he talking about?" Usagi asked her from behind.

"**She was going to sacrifice herself and take me down with her. A noble intention, don't you agree?"**

"So...it's true. You really were going to kill yourself."

"Usagi..."

"I don't understand!" Her family was momentarily taken aback by the emotion in her voice. "Why do we have to fight each other? Why are you doing this?!"

Apollo was silent for a moment. In his eyes, he thought saw his sister instead of his niece.

"**You brought this upon yourselves. You all claimed to be my friends, my FAMILY! And then what do you do? You go off into your own little worlds and pretend that I don't exist! You're all happy because of the sacrifices I MADE! Why am I the only one who had to suffer?! And then...you all abandoned me. You betrayed me!! You bastards killed me and then continued on as if nothing had happened! Well, screw you! All of you...! You self-proclaimed rulers and your dogs...you can all go to HELL!!!!"**

_**Sheeeeeeeen....**_

The mass of energy began to flare up. Apollo was readying his attack and Hotaru was preparing to counter it.

_...You must really hate me... don't you?_ Usagi heard his voice within her head.

"No." She shook her head. "I pity you."

"**DISAPPEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!"**

A beam of orange light charged towards the trio. Hotaru raised her glaive. "Silence Wall!!"

_**BLAM!!**_

A purple barrier came up as the beam struck it. The strain on her body was immediate. Hotaru dug her feet into the floor and pushed forward for support as more blasts followed. As each one connected with the barrier, Hotaru winced; even if she were in top condition the challenge would have been daunting.

_**BLAM!!**_

_**BLAM!!**_

_**BLAM!!**_

"Rrrg!!!" _T-This isn't good! Now that he's purely a spiritual being, he doesn't have limits on his spiritual powers anymore! And as long as we're in this dimension he'll continue to draw power from it!_

_**BLAM!!**_

_...He was right. I had intended to sacrifice myself. However, if I attempt to do so now, both Usagi and Nozomi will be caught up in the blast._

As if knowing what she was thinking, Apollo added,

"**If you use that power, they will not be the only ones affected."**

"What?!" The buzzing in her head was growing louder.

"**Your 'friends' are somewhere in this dimension as well. Despite the barrier that you've put up, they somehow got in. A nuisance, but it's served me well."**

_**CRACKLE—BLAAM!!!**_

Hotaru's barrier finally gave in.

"Hotaru!"

Hotaru fell to the floor and coughed violently. The barrier outside, surrounding the city was still intact. Her body was reaching its limit.

"...Usagi... I'm sorry. I guess I'm just useless after all." She was surprised when her sister hugged her tightly. _Usagi...?_

"Thank you."

Hotaru blinked. When Usagi pulled back, she saw a strange light in her sibling's blue eyes.

"You protected me all this time, Hotaru. So now, it's my turn to protect you." She smiled. For a moment, it didn't quite register in Hotaru's mind what the blonde had said. She suddenly snapped out of her thoughts when Usagi suddenly stood up and stepped towards Apollo.

"No, what are you doing?! He'll kill you!"

Usagi came to a stop a meter ahead of the pair and stared up at the glowing mass of energy. It was hot, and there was so much anger radiating from it. But despite that, in her mind it was still her uncle.

_I only wish we could have met under different circumstances..._

Hotaru held her breath when Usagi brought her hands out in front of her and a white crystal emerged from her chest.

_Don't tell me she's going to...!_ Her thoughts were cut off when Usagi's white energy began to cascade throughout the area. Her heart crystal was powering up, and it was making Apollo uneasy; where their energies touched, there were sparks.

"Hey, Hotaru? Do you remember when you asked me why I said I would fight? The reason is... is because I want to protect the people that I love!"

Hotaru's heart skipped a beat. "But that still won't be enough! You'll die!"

Usagi's blue-eyes softened in understanding. "I still have to try..."

There was a flicker of orange light from above.

"**...Die..."**

"USAGI!"

**Ping!**

_**SHhhhRRKK!!!**_

"**What?!"**

There was a flash of purple light in the distance. "Dead...Scream..."

**Whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii**_**iiiiiiiiiiiiirrrrRrRrRRRRRR---Kablam!**_

"**GRAAGH!"**

The God whirled his spiritual sight around. He knew that attack very well and he was looking for its owner. But instead, he found himself shrinking back in horror when the others appeared. They were walking between the pillars, but they were not alone. Each of the young women he had ruthlessly hunted was standing side by side with the spirits of their mentors—his former friends whom he had killed himself. Even Ares was there. The man's dark eyes glared back at him from beside the young Goddess of Mars.

"So this is where you went, you coward!" Haruka shouted.

Their eyes, the expression on their faces, it was just like last time.

"**N-No..."** The flames of his body flickered.

There was a blast of purple light behind him and suddenly his being felt heavy. Setsuna had initiated a barrier on one half of the room. In front of him Hotaru dashed forward and initiated one for the other half.

"Silence Wall!"

Their barriers joined in the middle and trapped the former God's spiritual form down.

_**FwooOOOOOOOOSH!!!**_

Apollo was beginning to panic. He couldn't move. In a rush he began to blast at the combined barrier around him, but his attacks were hardly doing damage.

"**No! No! NO!"**

**BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!**

"Do it now!" Setsuna shouted over the wind. "Channel your powers to Usagi!"

"Right!"

"**GRAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!" **Apollo shouted loudly as the lights began to light up all around him.

_Here we go...!_

"Mercury Planet Power!"

Mercury's insignia lit up on Ami's forehead as a blue light flew to the crystal in Usagi's hands. Usagi's eyes widened a little as the power joined together with hers.

"Jupiter Planet Power!"

"Uranus Planet Power!"

"Neptune Planet Power!"

"Venus Planet Power!"

"Mars... Planet Power!"

_**Ping! Ping! Ping! Ping! Ping! Ping!  
Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen---**_

"Moon... Prism Power!"

Their powers combined and exploded from the crystal as a white beam of light that charged at the Sun God. Both Hotaru and Setsuna simultaneously released the barrier seconds before impact.

_**FwooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOSH!!!**_

"NOOOOOO------_OOOOOOO_!!!!!!!!!!"

_**KAA---BLAAAAAAAAA—AAaAAAAAA---AaAaAAAM!!!!**_

(Sun Battlefield)

Outside the city, a white beam of light could be seen rising up from the center of the City of Gods...

* * *

**Epilogue will be posted in a few days**


	41. Epilogue

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Sailor Moon**

* * *

(One year later)

It was a bright, sunny day in Venus. The people's ruler, Venus Minako, was on her way to the resting place. With a bunch of blue-flowered bouquets held tightly in her hands, she skipped down the dirt path with an unusual bounce in her step.

_I can hardly believe how fast time has passed. It's already been a year since the war has ended._

_After the war ended, we held one large memorial service for everyone who died in the war... including Apollo and Queen Serenity. Even now, I don't really know the story behind Apollo, but... I would like to think that he found some sense of peace in the end. We haven't heard from him or the others ever since._

_After that, everybody went separates ways to rebuild their lives again. The Planetary Alliance is still in effect though. I haven't really heard from anyone in awhile, but the last I heard, there was some discussion about making Usagi the Head of the Alliance. Heh, Usagi... _The thought of the young woman brought a smile to her face. _I heard that the movement from Earth to the Moon is going well. Not to mention, her and that King of Earth seemed to be hitting it off pretty well too._

Minako's thoughts were interrupted when she finally reached a set of white gates. She eyed them thoughtfully for a moment; it was just as she had left it. Despite the rough weather they had been experiencing recently, the gates were still unsullied and dutiful in their guard.

With a flick of her wrist Minako released the spell binding them shut and slipped inside. The gate creaked as she carefully closed it behind her.

"Ah...This place is really coming along well." A smile graced her pink lips as she peered around at all of the flowers. The gardener had met her specifications to a tee.

As she continued down the brick path she sighted the stone monument towering in the distance overhead. She always felt nostalgic when she came to visit. But as sad as it made her feel, when one considered what could have been, she instead thought that she should count herself lucky that they were able to salvage any her family's remains to bury. Now they all could rest in peace.

"Huh?" Minako finally reached the end of the path, but she hesitated when she saw the gravestones. On each of the stones someone had laid a bouquet of flowers. _That's strange, did the gardener do this? _Her brow was furrowed in thought, but her feet were a few steps ahead of her mind. Such a thing was not possible; the only one who was strong enough to undo the seal on the gates on Venus was her.

Minako bent down in front of the nearest gravestone and felt her breath catch in her chest when she realized what they were.

"Red flowers..." With a shaky hand she touched one of them, confirming her suspicions with her own eyes.

_There's only one other place...where I've seen these before. _

A minute later, Minako ran out of the resting place with a bright smile on her face. She had left her bouquets beside the other ones on the stones.

(Palace Garden)

In her hurry, Minako slammed the gate shut behind her with a noise. She couldn't care less about the racket she may have been causing but to her luck the door hadn't quite been caught by the catch. She skidded to a stop and stared at the half-open, hanging door for a split second. She had half the mind to fix that little error, but before she knew it she had already abandoned the thought; her heart was already pounding so hard. Running as fast as her legs could carry her she ran up the re-built brick pathways to the very back until she finally caught sight of the flower beds. Minako could hardly believe her eyes; there was someone waiting there.

"Rei!" She yelled out and waved to the woman as she turned around and looked. Rei smiled.

"Hey."

"HEY?!" Minako ran towards her at full blast and tackled her straight to the ground. She could hear Rei protesting beneath her as they rolled around in the grass but she didn't have the heart to let her go so soon. "I haven't heard from you in days and all you have to say is 'hey?!'"

The world stopped spinning when Minako finally pinned Rei down. Seeing that she had been captured, Rei blew her bangs out of her eyes and offered a weak shrug in response.

"I see you've gotten stronger."

"Flatterer." She smirked back. "Nice try, but don't think you're getting off the hook that easily." Minako leaned back and flicked Rei's nose, to which she made a face in response. "Really, it's been a whole week since you last called! I was starting to get--"

"Worried?"

Minako froze. She stared down into Rei's dark eyes—behind the feigned innocence in them, she saw the mischievousness there, and, perhaps, a touch of smugness.

"Pfft, no way! I was just—umm—annoyed! Yeah, that's totally it! Like, I mean, why would I worry about a bum like you?" _Damn that mind reading thing! _

_A bum? _Rei was about to say something to that remark but she stopped when Minako suddenly went quiet. There was a thoughtful expression on her face.

"We practically talk everyday and then suddenly, without a word, you stopped calling. You wouldn't pick up either. I mean, what's up with that...?"

Rei awkwardly sighed and clasped one of Minako's hands. "Sorry... It was—There was a just a lot that I needed to get done before today. Getting away is already hard as it is. Besides, it sounded like you were going to be really busy all week too. With getting things ready and all..."

"Mm..."

"But, you're right. I should have said something before, and for that I apologize." Rei was surprised when Minako suddenly giggled.

"That's just so like you..."

"Hm? What did you say?" She received a playful slap in the shoulder. "Oof! Wha-What was that for?!"

"I saaaaid you need to loosen up! Jeez, there's no need to be so formal..."

After shifting around slightly beneath Minako's weight, Rei asked, "So, does that mean I'm forgiven? Or..." She flipped them over suddenly and Minako shrieked in surprise. "Do I still need to make it up to you?"

Still giggling lightly, Minako raised her arms up and draped them over Rei's head. "Mm...I'll have to think about it." With that she placed a kiss on Rei's forehead, and hugged her tight. In a very soft voice, she whispered, "I'm really happy that you're here. For a moment there, I was worried that you forgot."

This admission had momentarily taken Rei aback.

"Don't be stupid. How could I forget?"

They both sat up to looked to the blue flowers in the flowerbed nearby. Each and every one of them had blossomed. It was just as Minako had promised-- they were beautiful-- the best in the entire garden.

"It looks like they turned out well." Rei commented. She saw Minako nod beside her.

"Mm. Last year they were a bit late...but this year, I don't think the timing could have been any more perfect. Anyway...Have you heard from any of the others lately?"

"Hmm...Actually, I haven't. I've been pretty busy lately."

Minako chuckled as she siddled up into the Martian's side and entwined their fingers. "You've been saying that quite a bit. So, are you going to enlighten me and tell me exactly what it is that you've been so busy with? Hmmm..?"

"Oh, you know...Meetings, paperwork...Okay, lots and lots of paperwork."

"Ugh," Minako made a face. "No offense, but that sounds pretty boring! But, I guess I shouldn't complain too much since that's what I've been doing lately too." She noted the thoughtful look on the other's woman face. "What's wrong?"

"Hm? Oh, well, I was just thinking..."

"About?"

"...Ares."

"What about him...? You aren't still having regrets are you?"

Rei shook her head. "No, it's nothing like that. It's just-- I almost can't believe it's already been a whole year already. Before, when he was gone, I didn't really care if he ever came back. But now, now that I know the reason why he's gone, it just...makes me think, that's all."

She felt Minako lightly squeeze her hand. "Yeah, I know..."

_My condition hasn't given me a problem ever since I've become a Goddess. When he first taught me the technique, and I found out about it...I wasn't sure what to think. I wondered if he really meant to make me his heir. But thinking back on it now...maybe...it was just his way of telling me to live._

Minako blinked, and then smiled. "Yeah. Maybe you're right..."

_Who knows...But it's all in the past now. We have to keep moving forward, right? _

She felt Rei squeeze back. "Hm. I suppose so. Which reminds me—I know I'm early, but aren't the others supposed to be arriving soon? The Planetary Meeting is being hosted here today isn't it?"

Minako's face instantly lit up. "Yup! That's right! Since Venus has been absent for so long, I thought it would be only natural that it should be our turn to host! Everything's pretty well set up too! The kitchens are finishing preparations on the food, the party decor has already been completed for hours, AND we have a local music group coming in to play live music! You know what that means don't you?" She shot Rei a happy smile. The Goddess of War was almost afraid to ask.

"UMM..."

"DANCING!"

Rei groaned as Minako leapt up to her feet and began to twirl around with an imaginary partner.

"After all, the last time we danced I didn't get to dress up."

"You could've, but you were too busy "studying"." Rei pointed out.

"Oh, pish posh! Minor details! The important thing is...this time, you'll get to see me all dressed up!"

Rei blushed deeply at the thought. Actually, she didn't really mind that thought of seeing her partner in formal clothing.

"It'll be a lot of fun! I can hardly wait." Minako squealed as she sat herself down by Rei again and snuggled against her. Rei didn't pull away, but cuddled back. With the other woman so close, she deeply inhaled the scent of her hair. It had a mixture of flowery scents that she couldn't quite identify, only that it was all Minako.

"You really haven't changed at all." She finally said. She heard Minako sigh quietly on her shoulder.

"Well, that's because... the important things stay the same..."

Rei silently pondered over the words for a moment. That reminded her—she _had _forgotten something very important.

"Hey, Mina...?"

"Hmm?"

They were suddenly distracted when they heard the garden gate being opened in the distance. Someone was coming. Rei half grumbled to herself as they both reluctantly parted and turned to see who it was. It was one of Venus's elite guards.

"Your Majesty!" Render saluted.

Minako stood up, Rei following right behind her. "Good afternoon, Render." She nodded. "Do you have good news for me?"

"Yes! Your Highness's guests have arrived! I thought I would come and tell you!"

"Ah, I see. Well, thank you very much. I really appreciate it. If it's not too much trouble, would you please inform them that we'll be right there shortly?"

"It's no trouble at all! I would be more than happy to."

As the man went on his way, Minako noticed a thoughtful look on the Martian's face.

"A penny for your thoughts?"

"...He sure is energetic, isn't he?"

Minako leaned into her side suggestively and smiled. "Jealous?"

Rei responded with something of a snort as she turned the beautiful woman around in her arms and took her hands into hers. As Minako continued to stare in Rei's eyes, infuriatingly, she found that she was unable to stop herself from turning red in the face. They were so close—why was Rei looking at her like that?

Rei cleared her throat before she spoke. "Before I was interrupted...There was something that I wanted to ask you."

"Huh? Oh, sure. What is it?"

"Do you remember that Venusian custom that you told me about some time ago?" Minako's face instantly darkened a few shades of crimson at the memory. She didn't say anything but simply nodded in response.

Without any warning Rei leaned in. Minako jumped a little when the woman's breath touched her lips. "Just between you and me...I'm thinking of starting a Martian one, but only with a certain Venusian. Because...I really..."

Rei gave Minako's ear a nip and heard the Venusian yelp. Rei then walked past the woman and left her standing there in a daze.

For a second, Minako didn't even know what happened. But then something occurred to her.

"REI?!" She shouted. Rei was halfway through the garden by now. "When you said Venusian, you meant me, RIGHT?!"

Rei's laughter could be heard throughout the entire garden as Minako chased after her.

_...You know...I think that's the first time I've ever heard Rei laugh..._

* * *

**The End**

**A/N****:**

**The End... Ahh...I could almost stare at those two words forever. Buuuut, I won't, because that's probably not very healthy XD **

**Since I've finished writing the story, I've been wondering what I could possibly say. But at times like this I guess it's difficult to find the words. To say that the timing when this story ended was special to me probably is a bit of an understatement. **

**I started this story at the start of when I began post-secondary. At the time, I sorta had an idea of where I wanted to go with the plot but I never imagined that it would balloon into something like this. Eventually, as many of you already know, I ended up re-writing it... I had originally intended to have the final chapters posted a few months ago, but then the surgery happened; when I was in high school, I lost the vision in one of my eyes due to an illness caused by contacts. That was really how I got into writing. So, if I had never gotten sick, I probably wouldn't have written this story at all.**

**That's why, if you can find some enjoyment from this story, it would make me very happy. **

**Anyway, that's enough from me. Best wishes to all of you for the New Year of 2010,**

**-Seraphydragon**


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